The community of Christ the King Parish offers its sincerest condolences to you
and your family for the  loss you have suffered.
We hope that the events and resources listed here will be of help to you.
Come back often. We will add to these as others come to our attention.

Hospice of the East Bay
3470 Buskirk Ave.
Pleasant Hill, CA 94523
(925) 887-5681
Offering a variety of  support groups and workshops for people experiencing grief and loss after the death of a loved one.

Children's Services ("Footsteps" program):
Grief support for children and teens (ages 4-18) who have experienced the death of a family member or friend.
Contact Lee Ann Morgan, (925) 887-5681
thecenter@hospiceeastbay.org
www.hospiceeastbay.org
Hospice of the East Bay is a non-profit agency.

Spiritual Support for Women in Transition
Help in dealing with the anxiety and grief of life changes, including death, illness, and inner life transitions. Call Rosemary Ehat, MFT, (510) 869-4445. 

24-Hour Grief Hotlines (offering a listening ear and timely referrals)
Contra Costa Crisis Center 
Grief Line: (800) 837-1818
Crisis Line: (800) 833-2900

Alameda County Crisis Support Services
(510) 889-1104

Family Life Office, Oakland Diocese, 2350 Pacheco St., Ste. 201, Concord, CA 94520, (925) 680-8510 (Services to Widows/Widowers)

Bereavement Support Groups
Christ the King Parish Grief Support Group offers a 7-week series twice a year. For information, contact Sr. Joanne Gallagher, CSJ, at (925) 682-2486.

St. John Vianney Parish, 1650 Ygnacio Valley Road, Walnut Creek, CA 94598, (925) 939-7911 (Bi-weekly peer-facilitated support groups)

John Muir Medical Center, Concord Campus, Grief Support Services, 2540 East Street/PO Box 4110, Concord, CA 94524-4110, (925) 674-2132 (Room #2; 2nd and 4th Mondays; 6:30-7:45 p.m.; no charge--donations accepted). Correspondence Program. Monthly mailings on living with loss and grief are distributed upon request. Call (925) 674-2132 to enroll. No charge! (Donations accepted)

John Muir Medical Center, Walnut Creek, CA. Afternoon Drop-In Group (first and third Mondays of each month, 2-3:30 p.m.) For information, call (925) 947-3300.

Women's Miscarriage Support Group. This drop-in support group is for anyone who has experienced a miscarriage. Receive helpful advice and gentle guidance to help you come to terms with the loss you have experienced. There will be ongoing support towards becoming pregnant again. (Meets two Monday evenings per month. Held at the Women's Health Center, 1656 N. California Blvd., Walnut Creek, CA 94596.) For dates and times, call (925) 941-7900 or 941-7908.

Parents of Murdered Children (And Other Survivors of Homicide Victims) Contra Costa County/East Bay Chapter. Contact: Jack & Jean O’Hara, (925) 932-6753

Citizens Against Homicide
Full-service survivor counseling and advocacy
Marin County: (415) 455-5944

"There are no dead people, Lord. 
There are only the living, on earth and beyond. 
Death is nothing but a moment, a second, 
a step from provisional to permanent, 
from temporal to eternal." 
From "The Funeral" by Michel Quoist

A Widow, a Chihuahua, and Harry Truman: A Story of Love, Loss, and Love Again by Mary Beth Crain with a foreword by Betty White (HarperSanFrancisco, ISBN 0-06-251673-6, paperback)

Nobody’s Child Anymore: Grieving, Caring & Comforting When Parents Die by Barbara Bartocci (Sorin Books, ISBN 1-893732-21-5)

When Your Spouse Dies by Cathleen L. Curry (ISBN 0-87793-416-9, Ave Maria Press)

Don’t Let Death Ruin Your Life: A Practical Guide to Reclaiming Happiness After the Death of a Loved One by Jill Brooke

Praying Our Goodbyes by Joyce Rupp, OSM

I Wasn’t Ready to Say Goodbye: Surviving, Coping and Healing After the Sudden Death of a Loved One by Brook Noel & Pamela D. Blair

Getting to the Other Side of Grief: Overcoming the Loss of a Spouse
by Susan J. Zonnebelt-Smeenge, Robert Devries, & Robert C. De Vries

Bereavement-Related Websites

Journey Through Suicide Grief
http://www.journeythroughsuicidegrief.com/

Heartbeat: Grief Support Following Suicide
http://www.heartbeatsurvivorsaftersuicide.org/

Family Wellness Group of Buffalo, NY--Suicide Grief Support
http://www.familywellnessgroup.org/grief_suicide.htm

Journey of Hearts  
http://www.journeyofhearts.org/jofh
(Recovering from losses and significant life changes)

Women’s Health  
www.obgyn.net/women/loss/loss.htm

Videos

"No One Cries the Wrong Way: Grief, Suffering, and Death," 
a series of 8 videos by Fr. Joseph Kempf, MA, M Div.
Published by Brown-Roa Video (do a product search on the site)
1-800-922-7696
Titles:
1.  The Face of God
2.  Life From Shattered Pieces
3.  Dignity in Life and Death
4.  Life After Life
5.  To Grieve
6.  Putting Skin on God
7.  Be Still and Know That I Am God
8.  We Pray

Magazine
Bereavement: A Magazine for Hope & Healing
8133 Telegraph Drive
Colorado Springs, CO 80920
(719) 282-1948

Our parish Bereavement Ministry is one of our most rewarding volunteer opportunities. In this ministry, parishioners trained in bereavement counseling contact families who have lost a loved one in death. The Bereavement Ministry team invites you to share this important service. If you might be interested in joining us, contact Al Garrotto at  algarrotto@comcast.net or the above telephone number.

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Let us go now in peace, faithful friends of God, confident that those we mourn have taken our love with them into Paradise.

May God’s holy angels one day lead us, too, home to the wide reaching arms of the Lord. Amen.

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