Grief Awareness: A Message from Bishop Paulina
Updated: 8 hours ago
A reflection on grief, loss, faith and hope
Grief Awareness Day was observed on 30 August, at a time when many of us were taking our last steps through the long, light days of summer. Yet grief is not bound by seasons. It is one of the most profound and important realities we encounter in the life of the Church and in our own lives.
So, as summer gives way to autumn and the days begin to grow quieter, I would like to offer an opportunity to pause, to make space for reflection, and to consider something that, in one way or another, belongs to all of our stories: grief.
The popular framework of the six stages — denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance and finding meaning — helps name some of the common feelings we may experience, but grief is not a straight line. We may move between emotions, return to feelings we thought we had left behind, or experience several emotions at the same time.
There is no single way to grieve, and there is no timetable for grief.
A message from Bishop Paulina
As a Church, we need to make space for grief.
We encounter loss in many different ways — through the death of someone we love, miscarriage, illness, separation, changes in our lives, or the loss of hopes and dreams. Each person's experience is unique, and each person's grief deserves to be met with compassion.
As Christians, we do not have to hide our sorrow. God is present with us in our mourning. Scripture does not ask us to pretend that everything is fine. Instead, it gives us the language to cry, to question, to remember and to hope.
The Church can be a place where people know that they do not have to grieve alone. Sometimes there are no words that can make the pain disappear. Sometimes what is needed most is simply someone willing to listen, to sit alongside us, to pray with us and to walk with us.
You are not alone. You are supported.
I have collected a few peaceful, meaningful and hopeful articles on loss which may help us understand our own feelings: from Martin Luther on miscarriage to Maria Popova and her reflections on Maija Hurme's Odds & Ends, Olivia Laing's To the River: A Journey Beneath the Surface and Judith Viorst's Necessary Losses.
These reflections remind us that grief is not simply something that needs to be "got over". Love, memory and loss remain connected, and sometimes learning to live with grief is itself part of the journey.
As Anne Lamott writes:
"You will lose someone you can’t live without,and your heart will be badly broken, and the bad news is that you never completely get over the loss of your beloved. But this is also the good news. They live forever in your broken heart that doesn’t seal back up. And you come through. It’s like having a broken leg that never heals perfectly—that still hurts when the weather gets cold, but you learn to dance with the limp.”
For Christians, this journey is held within the hope of Christ. We mourn because we love, but we also trust that death and loss do not have the final word.
Jesus says:
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” - Matthew 5:4
May we be a Church that remembers, listens, supports and walks alongside those who grieve.
May we make room for both sorrow and hope, and may God's presence bring comfort to all who carry the weight of loss.
With the blessing of Hope,
Bishop Paulina
One-to-One Pastoral Support
If you are experiencing grief and would like to talk with someone, we are here to support you. You can arrange a one-to-one pastoral conversation with a member of our pastoral team by contacting:
You do not have to walk through grief alone. We are here to listen, pray, and support you.
Further reflections on grief and loss
Martin Luther — Comfort for those experiencing miscarriage
Christian History Institute — No Simple Story
Maria Popova — Maija Hurme, Odds & Ends
Judith Viorst — Necessary Losses
Olivia Laing — To the River: A Journey Beneath the Surface
Maria Popova — Trees
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