Many of you know that St. Gerard Majella is the patron of pregnant mothers and many couples over the years have been blessed with conception after praying through his intercession. Less well known is that Gerard was born to a very poor family and his father died when he was just 12. Besides the terrible grief he experienced in this tragedy, little Gerard was forced to leave school and work to help his family survive. Years later, after his family was able to get onto its feet again, he joined the Redemptorists as a lay brother and helped to serve the many poor families of Muro, Italy - especially those struggling and grieving after the death of a parent.

St. Gerard wrote "Who except God can give you peace? Has the world ever been able to satisfy the heart?"

Indeed, we at St. John Vianney experience the many joys and hopes of family life, but also grieve together when someone we love passes away. One of the most beautiful and important ministries we have is called the Bereavement Ministry (or Grief Support Ministry) and is led by the wonderful Mrs. Sally Kiko. She is aided by a number of amazing parishioners. To name just a few who are leaders within the Bereavement Ministry, Diana Accomazzo coordinates the "baking team", Karen Comeaux coordinates follow-up phone calls to families, and Sally, Joan Rose and David O'Connor are the current facilitators of the Grief Support Group.

This ministry assists our parish families that are experiencing grief of any kind, but especially following the death of a loved one. They assist by preparing the Church for funeral Masses, contact each family before the funeral to offer condolences and prayer, as well as to see if they wish to receive desserts to help with the reception following the funeral. They also maintain the rack of Care Notes in the church vestibule.

They also lead "The Prayer Line" in which prayer requests are sent out to members as they are received. There are currently 39 prayers on the line and many are sent out to the Men's Fellowship as well.

Each January and February since 2008 there has been a Grief Support Group, which meets for 6 weeks. At the end of the support group each member of the group is followed-up with by one of the facilitators for as long as is needed. They also host a Mass of Remembrance for families that have lost children of any age for any reason. This year was our 9th Annual Mass of Remembrance.

Currently this ministry only meets in English, though we are hopeful that in 2024 we can begin groups and support in Spanish as well. If you are interested in becoming part of the Bereavement Ministry or helping to begin a similar ministry in Spanish, please call our parish office. Let's all keep praying for the parishioners who are grieving and for these volunteers. May St. Gerard Majella continue to be their powerful patron saint praying in heaven.

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