Grief

Please contact the parish office to talk to one of our priests for individual support at 504-737-2915 during the day or 468-7179 after hours, weekends, and holidays.

People can experience grief after any sort of loss, whether it is the loss of a job, a relationship ending, or the death of a loved one.  Every journey through grief is different.  The goal of this healing is not to get over the loss but to adjust one’s life to the new normal. It is an invisible injury to the mourner. We are not here to judge; just to comfort and support.

St Rita’s Bereavement Committee is here to support parishioners who lost loved ones.  Please click here or call the Parish Office for more information.

Resources to support you in your grief:
•Creighton University’s Online Resources for Grieving collection http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/Grief/
•Catholics Come Home’s Death and Grieving Page
•U.S. Catholic, “How to Handle Grief”
•Ascension Catholic, “Dealing With The Loss of a Loved One”
•Catholic 365 “Five Useful Ways Catholics Can Deal With Suffering”
•Creighton University, “Seeking God When We Seem Lost in Grief”
•Orange County Catholic’s “Coping With Grief”
•Archdiocese of Omaha’s “Grieving Person’s Bill of Rights”
•Divorcing with Adult Children: The Unacknowledged Suffering
Catholic Online “Grief:  The Journey Takes Time” 
•The Archdiocese of New Orleans offers the Beginning Experience - A weekend for those who have experienced the pain of divorce or the loss of a spouse.  Learn more at https://beginningexperience.org/
 
Supporting Those Who Grieve
We are called to aid the suffering.  It is often hard to know how to best aid those suffering grief.  These resources teach how you can best help those who grieve on their healing journey.
Resources to help you better support others who are grieving:

• Creighton University’s “How To Help those Who Are Grieving”
• Psychology Today: “How to Help Someone Who Is Grieving”

 

Avoiding the Clichés of Grief

Cliché: “You must be strong for your children (spouse, relatives, friends, etc).”
Instead, try: Why not share your feelings with your children? Perhaps you can lean on one another and help support each other.


Cliché: “You’ve got to get hold of yourself.”
Instead, try: “It must be so hard to keep going when you’re hurting so much.”


Cliché: “You are holding up so well.”
Instead, try: “Would it help to talk about how you’re feeling?”


Cliché: “Time will heal.”
Instead, try: “You must feel as if this pain will never end.”


Cliché: “You’re young, and you will be able to make a new life for yourself.”

Instead, try: “You must miss your loved one and the life you had together; I do, too.”
 
 

Credit:  Archdiocese of Omaha
 
 
Archdiocese of New Orleans Catholic Counseling Service - provides faith-based counseling for married couples, families (children as young as 13), and individuals.  The Catholic Counseling Service can be reached at 504-861-6245 or by email at [email protected]. See more information at https://www.nolacatholic.org/catholic-counseling-service


Suffering

St Rita is here to support those suffering.  There are many types of suffering as well and many require specialized care beyond what our pastoral staff can provide.  We encourage you to join our community and strengthen your bond with Our Lord while seeking advanced care.  
Please contact the parish office to talk to one of our priests for individual support 737-2915 during the day or 468-7179 after hours, weekends, and holidays.

Archdiocese of New Orleans Programs.  The Archdiocese offers different programs to support those suffering:  https://www.nolacatholic.org/struggling

Archdiocese of New Orleans Catholic Counseling Service - provides faith-based counseling for married couples, families (children as young as 13), and individuals.  The Catholic Counseling Service can be reached at 504-861-6245 or by email at [email protected]. See more information at https://www.nolacatholic.org/catholic-counseling-service

Catholic Therapists. This site offers a network of therapists to help ease your suffering.  Their mantra is “Sound Psychology. Solid Faith. Real Healing.” 

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) affects those who have been affected by violence, including serious accidents, sexual assault, combat or physical violence.  PTSD greatly impacts quality of life of the suffer and others around him or her.  It takes a mental and physical toll and may begin months after the incident.  PTSD victims need professional care.

• National Center for PTSD’s Where to Get Help for PTSD   https://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/where-to-get-help.asp
• PTSD Alliance’s PTSD Counseling and PTSD Recovery www.ptsdalliance.org/help/
• Find a Psychiatrist https://www.Psychiatry.org/patients-families/ptsd
• 22 Ways to Help Someone with PTSD https://themighty.com/2016/03/22-ways-to-support-someone-with-ptsd-from-people-who-have-it/

 
Domestic violence impacts many people and families.  Seek safety first and foremost.  Call 911 for emergencies. 

• National Domestic Violence Hotline can be reached at 1-800-799-SAFEhttp://www.thehotline.org/They feature an Online Chat button as well.
• US CCB’s “When I Call for Help: A PastoralResponse to Domestic Violence Against Women”

 
Depression and suicide are growing problems across the country.  Depression is a serious yet invisible condition impacting mental and physical health. 

• You can start discussing mental health with your primary physician at an annual checkup.
• Suicide Hotline:
  • Call 1-800-273-8255
  • Online Chat https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/chat/
• Find a Psychiatrist https://www.Psychiatry.org/patients-families/ptsd
• American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
  • https://afsp.org
  • Clarion Herald’s “Support Group Held for Families Experiencing Suicide [in New Orleans]”
  • Call (504) 565-7474 for more information

Marital Issues are common and need to be addressed to support your family. 

• The Archdiocese of New Orleans offers Retrouvaille - A retreat designed for couples who are struggling in their marriage.  Often couples attending a Retrouvaille retreat are very close to a divorce and may even have begun to lose hope.  The Retrouvaille retreat offers hope and a path towards recovery and healing.  Learn more at https://www.helpourmarriage.org/

• US CCB’s “Difficulties Married Couples Face”
• St Rita of Cascia is the patron saint of Difficult Marriages, Impossible Causes, Infertility, Parenthood
• The Third Option focuses on working out difficulties in marriages.  It combines 14 unique skill-building workshops, sharing by mentor couples who have overcome marital problems, and support groups. Because it uses a “self-change” model, one spouse may come alone.

Infertility plagues many who long for children but have not yet been blessed.

• The Archdiocese of Omaha’s Center For Family Life Infertility offers support:  http://family.archomaha.org/experiencing-difficulties/infertility/
• USCCB’s For Your Marriage offers avariety of articles on infertility.

 
Parenting children is a blessing, but not without stresses.  Postpartum depression, sleepless nights, and children’s health issues can all take their toll.  Remember that “it takes a village” to raise a child and don’t be afraid to ask friends, family, neighbors, and parishoners for help especially if you know you need a break. 

• The Archdiocese of Omaha’s Center For Family Life offers support on parenting:  http://family.archomaha.org/experiencing-difficulties/parenting/
• Divorced Parents have unique challenges.  Uptoparents.org offers advice for separated and divorced parents on how to meet their children’s needs
• Catholics Come Home’s Parenting topic

Alcohol and Substance Abuse affects many across the country and our parish.  There are resources available for rehabilitating those suffering from addiction

• TED Talks about Addiction:  https://www.ted.com/playlists/506/new_thoughts_on_addiction
• For Your Marriage’s “Drug Use Can Ruin a Marriage”
• Celebrate Recovery: A Christ-Centered Recovery Program
• The Calix Society: An association of recovering Catholic alcoholics, their family and friends, with an emphasis on spiritual activities

 
Mental Health is becoming a better understood and more mainstream topic.  As we better understand mental issues, treatments are becoming more mainstream.  These include Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), Autism Spectrum Disorder, Alzheimer’s, and many others.

• Approach your primary physician about issues you suspect with mental health
• ADDitude is a resource for ADD, ADHD, and Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)
• TED Talks has a series on mental health:  https://www.ted.com/topics/mental+health

 
Suggest a resource
Please seek the help you need.  No matter how dark the days may seem, you are loved on this earth and by your Heavenly Father.