Reaching grief: public mourning made sacred through ritual, remembrances, and relationship

Westerfield Tucker, KarenCedrone, Julie Lynn2023-05-242023https://hdl.handle.net/2144/46235The problem of grief has been described as the pandemic within the pandemic. This project believes that the church can provide a holistic response to the bereaved through inclusive events, education, and a devotion to embracing a changing spiritual landscape. Through memorial ritual, proactive education and supportive relationships, grief can be transformational and nurture a positive spirituality grounded in welcoming Christianity. This ministry is applied at the First Congregational Church in the town of West Boylston, Massachusetts, a small mill town outside of Worcester with a long history of communal loss prior to the loss of the pandemic.en-USPastoral counselingBereavementDeath and dyingGriefMemorialReaching grief: public mourning made sacred through ritual, remembrances, and relationshipThesis/Dissertation2023-05-23