Reflecting on National Grief and Bereavement Day 2025

Sara Traficante | B.Mus. M.Mus., Master of Psychospiritual Studies Student Sara Traficante is thrilled to be a student in the MPS program at Knox College, nurturing her interests in spiritually integrated psychotherapy, spiritual care, and theology. Sara has 20-years-experience in the classical music industry, performing and teaching across Canada as a flutist.

Her devotion to Christian service has been fostered for the past 14 years at Central Presbyterian Church (Hamilton) in children and youth programs, adult discipleship, music and choir, and with a special focus in social justice ministry. While a student at Knox College, Sara is completing Canadian Association for Spiritual Care (CASC) units, first at Community Counselling London in psychospiritual therapy, and currently at Niagara Health in spiritual care.

---

Content warning: end of life, death, grief 

Today is National Grief and Bereavement Day. I’m thankful for this opportunity to reflect on moments in my life and in my studies.

One of the great gifts of ministry is creating space for grief. There are times we do this very well, and other times we struggle to know what to do. I’ll share a few vignettes and resources that have inspired me to learn new ways to be present to grief. 

As ministry leaders, we are attuned to notice the sacred, and I am learning that this is essential for us to hold onto while supporting grief. A recent moment happened in my own church singing in the pews, “O God, our help in ages past.” The person standing next to me, who lost a parent in the last year, began to cry. I put my hand on their shoulder, and the person in the pew behind did the same. The moment of connection – reaching out hands on shoulder while singing this beautiful hymn – supporting the grief that broke through in that sacred moment. 

I am learning that traumatic deaths have the possibility of affecting multiple staff teams across the hospital. Spiritual Care regularly meets with staff for Code Lavender responses, supporting the process of grief and the trauma experienced with this loss. Through these in real-time and ongoing connections, spiritual care students and practitioners may better support the staff and celebrate the work they do to care for others.

This got me wondering - how do we support ministry leaders in our process of supporting others? 

We can learn more about the nuts and bolts of grief. How grief affects the emotions, mind, body, and spirit for each person differently. “Bottom line – Whatever your grief looks like, it is real and it is valid. You deserve to experience it in the way that is true for you.” - Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association. There are many great resources linked on this site to support caregivers and those experiencing grief.

Another fantastic resource is MyGrief.ca an initiative of Canadian Virtual Hospice. Create a free account in the Learning Hub to complete modules and receive a certificate. The self-directed and self-paced tools have been developed to support palliative care and grief. If you take a deep dive on the site, there are many resources, including books, links and more.

Finally, we came across the Children’s Grief Foundation of Canada (recently recommended by author and speak Kate Bowler). The Foundation is a national charity with a simple, sacred mission: to make it easier for bereavement agencies to care for grieving children. They do this by easing financial barriers so more programs can reach the kids who need them most. ​​Thanks to their growing network—from Nova Scotia to Vancouver—more children and their families are being met in their hardest moments with real help. Gentle, practical, human help. You can learn more or follow their work here.

How about a community of practice for ministry leaders? A great place to connect is right here at Ministry Forum. We are here to listen and to engage in creative ways to support you.

---

Resources for Grief & Bereavement