A Safe Place: A Retreat for Bereaved Parents

A retreat where parents who have lost a child can come together to navigate their grief.

A Safe Place explores the unique aspects of grief and its impact on your life as you grieve the death of a loved one.

The retreat, led by grief support leaders, who have experienced grief, includes sacred stories, presentations on the nature and dynamics of grief, small group discussions and spiritual practices designed to promote comfort on your grief journey.

Session One: The Healing Power of Story

We explore ways to begin telling your grief story and the spiritual practice of breath meditation.

Session Two: How Grief Affects Us

Focuses on your how our feelings in grief affect us, the patterns  of grief we experience and explores the spiritual practice of journaling and of the labyrinth.

Session Three: The Gift of Lament

We discuss the definition of lament and how to incorporate lament in your grief and mourning journey. We invite participant to create a space to use lament as a spiritual practice in navigating their grief.

Session Four: Your New World

We focus our discussion on resilience and finding a new meaning in life. We discuss the relationship between compassion and grief. We examine integrating activities that promote comfort in our grief journey such as the healing prayer of the mandala and practice of the Prayer of Examen

Session Five: Light in the Divine – Celebration of Those Who Have Gone Before Us

An interactive commencement service of remembrance and celebration. Participants have the opportunity to share their story and the stories of their loved one with the group. We mark the end of our time together and celebrate the lives we are grieving.

“The spiritual and emotional encouragement of A Safe Place helped me to realize that I can make it through the pain of losing our daughter. I didn’t know what to expect when we arrived. Would I run sobbing into our room when faced with talking about our daughter’s death? No, not at all. Others comforted me as we cried together. And it’s OK to cry together. Seeking help through A Safe Place helped me find comfort and to understand that I can live through it. Just take it one step at a time.”

Mo-Ranch and Faith & Grief Ministries are combining their respective gifts to make this retreat available, providing you a safe venue to wrestle with the dynamics of grief and to experience significant measures of hope and encouragement. Whether you are standing in raw grief, navigating the chaos of grief’s confusion or recovering from a recent ambush of grief, this retreat is designed for you. Plan to experience comfort through scripture, spiritual practices and interaction within a compassionate community of men and women who “get it” – get the heartache, get the lingering sorrow, get the continual yearning to be with your loved one and get the longing for peace.