To date, there have been over 38 million cases of diagnosed COVID 19 patients and more than 630 thousand COVID deaths recorded since the start of this pandemic. It was recently reported that COVID 19 deaths have exceeded the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918. These numbers do not include diagnosed non-COVID illnesses and deaths during the pandemic. Even if we were lucky not to lose a loved one to the virus, living in this pandemic has changed so much of how our society functions, including our day- to-day lives, how we care for the sick and the dying, and how we grieve or care for the bereaved. For the majority of the population, coping at this time was extremely stressful as we had to adjust to staying home and distancing ourselves from others.

It was especially challenging if someone you loved died during the pandemic, whether or not their death was a result of COVID-19. Social distancing guidelines made it especially difficult to safely come together to mourn the loss of a loved one, bringing drastic changes to the process of grieving. Routines and rituals that normally bring comfort weren’t readily accessible, which may increase our feelings of isolation and loss. As a result, there are likely to be many other losses that need to be mourned, such as not being able to visit a loved one in the hospital or nursing home,  not being present when a loved one died, or not being able to hold a wake and funeral.

If you have experienced any type of loss, including non- COVID deaths, you may have had to grieve alone. Even long after the loss, the felt grief may be still acute. There is a bereavement support group readily available to help you at St. Boniface Martyr. Every third Sunday of the month at 3 PM this group meets in a classroom in the school. There are no exclusions according to the causes of death, when the deaths occurred, or the nature of the relationships with the deceased.

About the St. Boniface Bereavement Group

If you have experienced any type of loss, including non- COVID deaths, you may have had to grieve alone. Even long after the loss, the felt grief may be still acute. There is a bereavement support group readily available to help you at St. Boniface Martyr. Every third Sunday of the month at 3 PM this group meets in a classroom in the school. There are no exclusions according to the causes of death, when the deaths occurred, or the nature of the relationships with the deceased. The bereavement group is facilitated by two experienced grief support persons. Registration is simple – just call (516) 676-0676, ext 131 and leave your contact information. You may also contact David Meagher at  davidkmeagher@gmail.com or Linda Rose at lrosecsw@hotmail.com.