Losing a loved one is a defining moment in our lives. It is a time of mourning and pain, accompanied by memories and stories of the deceased person’s life. And in the face of this difficult moment, there are ways we can offer valuable comfort to those who are grieving.
For almost 30 years, Donna Deering has been sending out sympathy cards to those grieving the loss of their loved ones. A longtime parishioner and former parish nurse at Our Lady of Lourdes, Donna first got involved in the ministry back in 1995. In the nearly 30 years since, she has been sending out sympathy cards to next of kin upon receiving news of a parishioner’s death.
“I think it’s very important for the next of kin to feel the acknowledgment that their loved one has died, to give them support and care for them,” she says.
Donna herself seeks out the bereaved person’s mailing address and writes a message inside the sympathy card. Then, she takes the card to the parish office for the priests and staff to sign, at which point the parish mails out the card. One year later, Donna sends out another card to acknowledge the anniversary of the parishioner’s death.
“I don’t think people realize that until they have lost a loved one, there is a big empty space,” Donna says. “I feel that your church community is like your church family. We should be there to give our support and our caring and helping, whatever needs to be done. Sometimes people don’t have loved ones close around them, and life can be kind of lonely at times, especially times like this.”
Having worked for 51 years as a hospital nurse, and spending some of that working in the ER, Donna regularly encountered families and friends grieving the death of loved ones. She also volunteered for over 30 years in hospice care, supporting bereaved people on a regular basis. So, she has a deep understanding of the pain that comes with grief. This effort is a way in which she desires to help out the parishioners and the wider community.
“It shows our acknowledgment, concern, and caring of each other as a parish family,” she says.