By Mike Latona/Catholic Courier After his wife of 45 years passed away, John Maley encountered fellow parishioners who did not know what to say and coupled friends who hesitated to include him in their gatherings. When John Shannon became divorced, his best friend stopped calling him. Sue Harriman, who also is divorced, became inactive in …
By Bishop David A. Zubik Let’s clear up one thing right away: a civil divorce does not prevent a Catholic from full participation in the life of the church, including celebrating Mass and receiving Communion. If someone has told you different, happily, they are very wrong! It’s possible that readers of Sunday’s Post-Gazette might not …
PUBLISHED: DECEMBER 30, 2014 BY MARYANNE MEYERRIECKS FORT SMITH CORRESPONDENT SUBIACO — The Dec. 20 ordination of Father Jack Sidler had major significance for the Diocese of Little Rock. The oldest seminarian at Sacred Heart Seminary in Hales Corner, Wis., and the 70-year-old grandfather was ordained at Subiaco Abbey by Bishop Anthony B. Taylor. …
by Susan Olp After Juanita Hooper went through a divorce in 1992, she found a way to begin again. Hooper attended a weekend retreat in 1993 sponsored by Beginning Experience, a nondenominational ministry that helps widowed, separated and divorced people come to grips with their loss. “It was one of the most powerful experiences …
by Denis Grasska Published in the October 2012 issue of “The Southern Cross” SAN DIEGO, CA – Cathy Savel had been married for 33 years when, one day, her husband had a heart attack at the gym. He was on a respirator for four days, and then he died. That was in April 2004. That …
From The Tidings BY BRENDA MIKHAIL Wednesday, 25 May 2011 18:02 Trained peer ministers who have experienced a similar loss form the team which primarily facilitates three-day grief resolution workshops and provides pre- and post-weekend support programs, such as “Coping With Life Alone” and “Continued Beginnings.” The Beginning Experience® ministry was founded by St. Mary …
By Denis Grasska SAN DIEGO — Mary Clement and Robert J. Clark have both lost spouses. Clement lost her husband of 33 years when he died after being seriously ill for a year and a half. Clark lost his wife when the couple divorced after 12 years of marriage. In both cases, a relationship died. …
Written by Christine Bordelon They have bonded through the shared experience of loss either by death, separation or divorce. From July 25-27, 110 team leaders of Beginning Experience International Ministry, Inc., held their biennial convention, “Celebrating the Vision in a Time of Change,” commemorating the group’s 40th anniversary. “They’re my family,” said Rose Brocato, president …
Beginning Experience of Alexandria, Louisiana has posted upcoming weekend programs on the community calendars of the city’s TV stations. To view the listing that appears on CBS Channel 5, KALB, click here.
By Emily Stimpson From Our Sunday Visitor Newsweekly, June 26, 2011 The apostle James made it all seem so simple.In his canonical epistle, he wrote: “Religion that is pure and undefiled before our God and Father is this: care for orphans and widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unstained from the world” (1 …
By Mary Whalen From the Bluff County Reader, Feb. 14, 2011 February opens our minds and hearts to reflect on the love relationships of our lives. Emotional energy moves toward people who are tucked deeply in our hearts. Special tokens of love’s presence are bestowed upon spouses, parents, children, relatives and special friends. Remembrances of …
From the Pittsburgh Catholic By THERESA McHENRY Widowed, separated or divorced? Don’t know where to turn? Struggling with grief or loss? When distress, despair, anger or grief are trivialized, dismissed and remain unresolved, life may seem unfulfilled and aimless. The loss of self-esteem, together with feelings of sadness or bitterness, becomes a way of life. …
From the Arkansas Catholic BY MARYANNE MEYERRIECKSFORT SMITH CORRESPONDENT FORT SMITH — When widower Jim Bolt, a parishioner of St. Vincent de Paul Church in Rogers, went on a Beginning Experience weekend in April, he thought he’d been through all the grief of losing his wife to a three-year struggle with lung cancer. Instead, he …
Beginning Experience International Ministry