Grieving with Great Hope is a grief support program and a healing ministry developed by John and Sandy O'Shaughnessy; they are the co-founders of Good Mourning Ministry, a Catholic Bereavement Apostolate. John is a Certified Grief Counselor and author of five books. Sandy is a Director of Religious Education with a master's degree in Pastoral Ministry (Bereavement Emphasis). They are grief educators, but in this series, you will learn they have experienced profound grief themselves.
As a FORMED subscriber, you can access all 5-sessions of this series. This series also comes with a Participant's Workbook and a Leader-Guide which walks you through the program from early planning, to preparation and implementation. This series is prayerful, practical, and personal. It has helped thousands of people who are grieving the loss of a loved one. The title comes from 1 Thessalonians 4:13, in which St. Paul tells the Thessalonians, "Let us not grieve as others who have no hope." And though faith can give us a confident expectation that this is not our home, it does not prevent grief and suffering in this life. Jesus said many times, "Take up your cross and follow me." This series teaches that grief is a natural reaction to loss, and mourning is our intentional response. Mourning is what we do with the pain we feel. It introduces The Seven Intentions of Mourning, each having its own unique purpose in helping to heal our wounds when someone we love dies. This series is designed for group discussions; as such, during the first four sessions, there is time for six "Grief Peer Group" discussions, where participants can share their own stories in a safe and validating environment.