In 2012 the author was invited by the Parish Pastoral Council in Newcastle, Co Down to help establish a Bereavement Ministry in the Parish. Unable to find exactly the course structure he was looking for, he designed his own course.

He has divided it into five sections:

• The Human Experience of Grief. (drawing on my own experiences and what some of the leading experts in grief have written)

• The Liturgy of Mourning. (as used in the Catholic Church)

• Grief in the Scriptures. (setting elements of section 1 within a scriptural context)

• A selection of suggested Scripture readings with reflections and some sample prayers of intercession. (These are intended to be used by ordained and lay ministers for their personal reflection and in preparing funeral homilies. They may also be of solace to grieving people.)

• A selection of prose, poems and prayers.

This book is directed primarily to those involved in bereavement ministry.