Welcome to GriefShare

GriefShare is a grief recovery support group where you can find help and healing for the hurt of losing a loved one.

Where:  St. Brigid Church Parish Center
                   10 Gibson St., Bergen 14416

We are committed to do this safely!

So just like our church, the St. Brigid Parish Center will be sanitized and we require face coverings and chairs will be set at a safe social distance apart.  We will also offer telephone conferencing for those who prefer to join us from their home.  

When:   September 8 – December 8, 2021
              Wednesday  10:00 AM
                 & Wednesday  6:30 PM
            Both sessions present the same material

Contact:  For more information & Registration
                  Marie DiQuattro  585-330-6510
                  Shirley Wade    585-330-0466

Registration:  $15. (scholarships available)

How GriefShare works

It may be hard for you to feel optimistic about the future right now. If you’ve lost a spouse, child, family member, or friend, you’ve probably found there are not many people who understand the deep hurt you feel.

This can be a confusing time when you feel isolated and have many questions about things you’ve never faced before.
GriefShare groups meet weekly (13) to help you face these challenges and move toward rebuilding your life. Each GriefShare session has three distinct elements:

Video seminar with experts

Each week your GriefShare group will watch a video seminar featuring top experts on grief and recovery subjects. These videos are produced in an interesting television magazine format featuring expert interviews, real-life case studies, dramatic reenactments, and on-location video.

Support group discussion with focus

After viewing the video, you and the other group members will spend time as a support group, discussing what was presented in that week’s video seminar and what is going on in your lives.     

Personal study and reflection

During the week you will have the opportunity to use your workbook for further personal study of the grieving process and to help sort out your emotions through journaling. Your group will spend time discussing questions and comments from the workbook study.

All three components are intertwined and essential for promoting effective results in your group.

When to join a GriefShare group

You are welcome to begin attending the GriefShare group at any session. Each is “self-contained,” so you do not have to attend in sequence. You will find encouragement and help whenever you begin. You will be able to continue with GriefShare through the next 13-week cycle and view any of the videos you have not seen.

What are the weekly session topics?

1. Is This Normal?

• You’ll discover why your grief experience is harder than you imagined
• Why the intensity and duration of your emotions are normal and appropriate
• Despite how you feel right now, there is reason for hope

2. Challenges of Grief

• You’ll learn more eye-opening reasons why your pain is so overwhelming
• Some of the overlooked, yet common, effects grief has on your mind, body, and spirit
• How to get things done when you don’t feel like you have any energy

3. The Journey of Grief – Part One

• You’ll learn helpful goals to set on your journey of grief
• How to deal with those who try to rush you through your grief
• How long the journey of grief typically lasts

4. The Journey of Grief – Part Two

• You’ll learn why it’s important to put effort into your healing
• How the events surrounding your loved one’s death affect your grief
• The best ways to deal with your loved one’s belongings

5. Grief and Your Relationships

• You’ll find out how the death of a loved one affects your friendships
• Why solitude can be a blessing and a curse
• How to deal with friends who don’t understand your grief

6. Why?

• This session demonstrates that God wants you to share your feelings with Him
• Why being honest with God is an expression of faith
• What God has to say to you about your “why” questions

7. Guilt and Anger

• You’ll learn how to deal with false guilt
• How to grieve conflicted relationships
• How to handle grief-related anger

8. Complicating Factors

• You’ll begin to see how traumatic experiences affect grief
• How to deal with nightmares and flashbacks
• How your thinking affects your emotions

9. Stuck

• You’ll discover how to prevent getting stuck in grief
• Common misconceptions that hinder healing
• Why your path to healing isn’t always smooth

10. Lessons of Grief – Part One

• You’ll become aware of an often-overlooked reason that grief is so painful
• Why going to church can be so difficult
• The benefits of helping others

11. Lessons of Grief – Part Two

• This session provides a more complete picture of who you are now that your loved one is gone
• Why no one grieves perfectly
• What grief can teach you about relationships

12. Heaven

• Session 12 answers questions about heaven and the afterlife, such as what heaven is like
• Whether you should communicate with your deceased loved one
• Whether near-death experiences are reliable descriptions of heaven
• And many more

13. What Do I Live for Now?

• You’ll learn why moving forward is a necessity
• Why it’s a process
• Why peace and pain will always coexist