Bereavement Ministry

The Bereavement Ministry of St. Gregory the Great Church seeks to provide caring consolation and spiritual support to parish families grieving the death of a loved one. At a time when grieving families are most vulnerable, great care is taken to foster healing for broken hearts and to bring God’s hope, love, and strength to those who have lost a loved one.

Lazarus Ministers provide immediate care, support, and solace to all family members following the death of a loved one. They pray for the deceased and the family of the deceased, assist the family with liturgical planning for the funeral Mass, follow up with calls or visits to family members, coordinate the annual Mass of Remembrance, and can provide information about the location of grief support groups in the diocese. Lazarus Ministers can be reached by contacting the parish office.

The Mass of Remembrance is held annually in the fall in memory of all parishioners who died during the past year.

For more information, please email Peg Kowalski at Pegkowal@aol.com.

“ Blessed are those that mourn, for they shall be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4)

“For, if we believe that Jesus died and rose, so too will God, through Jesus,
bring with Him those who have fallen asleep.” (1 Thess. 4:14)

Diocese of Trenton Grief Support Groups in Central NJ

Parish	Contact	Phone		Program
St. Mary, Bordentown	Deacon Larry Finn	609-424-0409		Individual post-funeral counseling Lawrencefinn351@gmail.com
Incarnation - St. James, Ewing	Sr. Diane Simons	609-882-8989		Once monthly on Saturdays 10am sdianesimons@hotmail.com
Our Lady of Sorrows - St. Anthony, Hamilton	Deacon Jeff Pierfy	609-658-4372		Individual post-funeral counseling
St. Raphael - Holy Angels, Hamilton	Deacon Bob Tharp	609-890-1011		Every Tues. year round rtharpsr@optimum.net
Our Lady of Good Counsel, West Trenton	Deacon John Bonner	609-771-8288		Spring & Fall 5 sessions olgc@comcast.net
St. Paul, Princeton	John Twamley	609-924-1743		Thursday evenings from 7 pm – 8:30 pm Grief Support Program offered beginning Sept. 29 – Nov. 17, 2016

Parish Counseling Services

Through a joint effort of the Diocese of Trenton and Catholic Charities, licensed professional counselors are available to help parishioners with difficult issues that interfere with day-to-day functioning. This service can be accessed by contacting one of our priests who will provide additional information and a referral. The fee is $75 per session.

If needed, financial assistance for short term counseling (up to 6 sessions) is available through the Diocese of Trenton Parish Counseling Services. The Diocese of Trenton will provide a grant of $50 per session (up to 6 sessions) toward the total cost of counseling. The client will be responsible for the co-pay ($25 per session) toward the total amount per session.

Click here for the referral form.