Bereavement Support Group

'At the sight of her tears, and those of the Jews who followed her, Jesus said in great distress, with a sigh that came straight from the heart, "Where have you put him?" They said "Lord, come and see." Jesus wept; and the Jews said, "See how much he loved him!"' Luke 11

Introduction
Bishop John Mone recognised that there was a need in our Diocese for support of bereaved people. He set the task for each parish to develop a group which could respond to this need.

At St. Patrick's we have now established such a group of Befrienders who are ready to help you.

What is a Befriender?
Befrienders are people from all walks of life within our parish who have come together after attending a course on Bereavement Support and have now formed our own Parish Group.

What is the Role of the Befriender?
We are here to be caring, understanding and most importantly, to listen to You and Your needs.

Is the Support for the Recently Bereaved?
It is for anyone who is in need of it, whether the bereavement was recent or many years ago. You may have become bereaved through the loss of a partner, parent, child or miscarriage. Whatever the loss, we are here.

How to contact us
For the recently bereaved a representative from the parish will visit you after the funeral with a Special Mass Card from the community of St. Patrick's.
The Befriender will continue to visit you for as long as you need.
If anyone suffering a bereavement they can contact the Bereavement Support Group through

Sister Mary Anthony

Franciscan Convent

Telephone 726849

The Bereavement Support Group also arranges a special Mass to be said on the last Tuesday of each month as well as a Memorial Mass each November for the parishioners who have lost family and friends, particularly during the previous year.