![[Seasons of Hope] Seasons of Hope Leader’s Guide: Bringing Comfort through Catholic Grief Support](https://cdn11.bigcommerce.com/s-86nw1qhj/images/stencil/400x500/products/7506/8052/cover__42749.1701441159.jpg?c=2 "[Seasons of Hope] Seasons of Hope Leader’s Guide: Bringing Comfort through Catholic Grief Support")
Seasons of Hope is a unique grief support program for Catholics that focuses on the spiritual side of grieving the death of a loved one. It invites those who mourn to accompany one another and to meet Christ through scripture, prayer, reflection, and simple activities that offer comfort and help to foster healing and spiritual growth.
The updated Seasons of Hope Leader’s Guide and four journals can be used by a parish grief ministry. Individuals are also able to use the journals for personal reflection and prayer. You can start with any of the four journals, each of which covers a standalone “season” of six sessions that each have their own theme rooted in a passage from scripture.
The Seasons of Hope program was created by author M. Donna MacLeod following the death of her daughter and has been used in thousands of parishes by tens of thousands of people since its original release in 2007. Updates to the new edition of the Leader’s Guide include:
- a new introduction;
- a new chapter about offering group sessions online;
- revised content and activities that meet the challenges and needs of the contemporary Church and culture;
- an updated resource list;
- access to online facilitator training materials; and
- information about caring for those living grief from losses such as suicide, overdose, miscarriage and other child loss, natural disasters, or homicide.
The Leader’s Guide continues to include FAQs about creating and sustaining successful grief ministries in your parish. It also provides outlines and scripts for the six group sessions of each season. Those sessions include scripture, prayer, reflection, activities, and faith sharing.
Product Preview
| Format: | Paperback book |
|---|---|
| Product code: | AM802326 |
| Dimensions: | 8½" x 11" |
| Length: | 192 pages |
| Publisher: |
Ave Maria Press
|
| ISBN: | 9781646802326 |
| 1-2 copies | $19.31 each |
|---|---|
| 3-9 copies | $18.43 each |
| 10-49 copies | $17.56 each |
| 50-99 copies | $17.12 each |
| 100+ copies | $16.46 each |
Praise
Communicating loss is essential. Opportunities to communicate with others are essential. Opportunities to communicate with God are necessary. Seasons of Hope offers those opportunities and, as a bishop, I offer my whole-hearted support and blessing.
Seasons of Hope is a godsend. It is solidly Catholic, imbued by hope and comfort while also being open to the real experiences of each participant. It provides an opportunity for those who are grieving to be together, share what is in their hearts, listen to God and to each other, and be heard and comforted. The program is simple, easy to lead, and scripture based. It gets people through hard times, giving them courage to surrender to God and invite him into their pain, and that this made all the difference.
Our bereavement ministry has been using this program for the last ten years and it always works for us. Donna MacLeod’s step-by-step Leader's Guide always puts me at ease when leading grief-support meetings. More importantly, this program gives each participant new hope in the Catholic Church and how it can help a hurting person in their grief journey.
As a seasoned facilitator of MacLeod’s marvelous program, time and time again I have witnessed the Holy Spirit at work as participants journey together in and through their grief. They consistently express appreciation for the uniquely faith-based content that may have attracted them to Seasons of Hope in the first place, or that was lacking in other grief support programs some had participated in, or that spoke to them as they sought God’s presence and a greater understanding of their grief. For those considering facilitating this program, be assured that the Leader's Guide is filled with Donna’s insightful, practical, and comprehensive guidance that’s sure to bless.
What most drew me to Seasons of Hope was its explicitly Catholic foundation. In contrast to secular support groups for the grieving, Seasons of Hope puts Jesus at the center and invites participants to entrust their loss and loneliness to him within the abundant consoling wisdom of our Catholic tradition. Having just lost my mother, I was a natural candidate for Seasons of Hope as a facilitator. Its well-structured format enhanced our efforts and when the sessions came to a close, I’d grown quite attached to my fellow group members. It was hard for all of us to see our time together end.
Many people in our parish community have become involved with Seasons of Hope. It has brought hope, healing, peace, and love to so many. One of the great aspects of this program is that by offering four 'seasons' our parish can provide multiple opportunities each year for people to participate when they are ready for that first step or return when they are ready for more. Most importantly, Seasons of Hope engages the faith life of those who use it and draws them into a deeper relationship with the living God. What a blessing it has been for our parish!
![[Seasons of Hope] Seasons of Hope Journal Three (Booklet): Finding Comfort in Your Grief](https://cdn11.bigcommerce.com/s-86nw1qhj/images/stencil/190x250/products/7504/8050/cover__79856.1701441011.jpg?c=2 "[Seasons of Hope] Seasons of Hope Journal Three (Booklet): Finding Comfort in Your Grief")
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