When Nancy Romaine?s father died 17 years ago, even though she was one of 11 children, she said she felt lost and didn?t quite know how to cope. But her Catholic faith was the anchor that got the grieving family through those rough days.
?We went to my mom?s house every Thursday and said the rosary,? Nancy said.
Although there were many secular bereavement groups in the area, at the time of her father?s death, there were few faith-based options. Since then, the Catholic Cemeteries Association began a bereavement program, which Nancy heads. A social worker for 30 years, she was looking for a way to combine those skills with her faith. Her position as bereavement/aftercare coordinator with Catholic Cemeteries was a perfect fit.
There are support groups where grieving family members and friends talk about their faith. ?We start and end with a prayer,? Nancy said. ?The spirit moves people. It?s amazing to see them begin to open up. They will start talking and after the meeting, sometimes they?ll arrange to meet for coffee or a meal. I?ve seen friendships blossom.? She said sometimes those encounters also help bring people back to the faith.
Nancy mentioned one family who lost a son. Although they were not practicing Catholics, she said they worked through their grief by attending the bereavement programs and monthly rosary sessions Nancy coordinates at some of the cemeteries. Eventually, the family came to grips with their questions of faith.
?When I see people who are faith-filled, they are at peace,? she said. ?God created us and all our emotions. Jesus experienced all of those things. He?d rather have us be angry and yell at him -- he can take it
