SACO — Good Shepherd Parish is launching a new grieving ministry next month in an effort to offer support and comfort to community members coping with the loss of a loved one.

According to Dave Guthro of the Diocese of Portland, a faith-based support group called Grief Share will meet on Thursday evenings at Most Holy Trinity Church in Saco starting Aug. 22 and runs through Oct. 24. Each non-denominational session starts at 6:30 p.m. and ends at 8 p.m.

Cach week’s session will focus on a different grief-related theme and registration is required to participate, Guthro said.

“The support group will be led by individuals who understand what grieving people are going through and want to help,” he said. “Participants will also have access to resources that will help them recover and rebuild.”

In addition, a special Grief Share session open to everyone called “Surviving the Holidays” will be presented from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 14 at Most Holy Trinity Church, Guthro said.

“This session will offer participants practical ways to work through difficult moments that may arise during the Thanksgiving or Christmas season as a result of the loss they have experienced,” he said.

Both the weekly sessions and “Surviving the Holidays” provide Bible-based support, prayer, video presentations, and group support discussions.

Weekly themes will explore why grief experiences are harder than imagined, why the intensity and duration of emotions are normal and appropriate, and why there is reason for hope; reasons for why grief is so overwhelming; a discussion of the overlooked, yet common, effects grief has on mind, body, and spirit; and how to get things done when you don’t feel like you have any energy. Other topics will examine how to set on your journey of grief and ways to deal with those who try to rush you through your grief, how long grief typically lasts, why it’s important to put effort into your healing, how the events surrounding your loved one’s death affect your grief, and the best ways to deal with your loved one’s belongings.

Some of the weekly sessions will feature additional topics and Guthro said that participants can visit or join the group at any time and attend as many or as few meetings as they like.

According to the National Mental Health Association, more than 8 million people suffered through the death of someone in their immediate family in 2018, creating 800,000 new widows and widowers. Another 400,000 people under the age of 25 suffered from the death of a loved one.

A recent survey conducted by the New York Life Foundation shows that Americans are more willing than ever before to discuss their feelings of grief, but overall 63 percent of Americans avoid grief conversations out of worry and concerns about saying the wrong thing to those who have suffered a loss.

Good Shepherd Parish includes Most Holy Trinity Church in Saco, St. Margaret Church in Old Orchard Beach, St. Joseph Church in Biddeford, St. Brendan Chapel in Biddeford Pool and St. Philip Church in Lyman.

To register or for more information about the new free Grief Share program offered by Good Shepherd Parish, call 282-3321, ext. 112, or visit www.goodshepherdparish.us/grief-share-registration.

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