• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • News and Info
    • Sermons
    • Connecting with You
    • Apostle
    • Photo Albums
    • Special Children’s Activities
  • Calendar
  • Contact
  • Staff
  • Breeze Login

St. Thomas the Apostle

Come, Grow, Serve, Make a Difference

  • Home
  • Worship
    • Baptisms
    • Music
    • Special Services
    • Weddings
    • Weekend Services
    • Worship Volunteer Opportunities
  • Spiritual Growth
    • Adult Confirmation
    • Bible Studies
    • Dinner Groups
    • EFM
    • Small Groups
    • Sunday Adult Forum
  • Outreach
    • Johnson County Interfaith Hospitality Network
    • Kansas2Kenya
    • NourishKC, formerly Episcopal Community Services
    • Caring for Kids Ministry
    • Thom’s Helpers
  • Pastoral Care
    • Eucharistic Visitors
    • St. Martha’s Guild
    • Walking the Mourner’s Path Grief Groups
  • Youth
    • Confirmation
    • High School Sunday School
    • Sunday Youth Group
  • Children
    • Children’s Church
    • Nursery Care
    • Special Children’s Activities
    • Sunday School
  • Pledge 2023
  • Music
  • DONATE
  • Mental Health Resources

Walking the Mourner’s Path Grief Groups

Walking the Mourner’s Path is a national program run by volunteers in the Episcopal Church, and it uses a set, 8-week curriculum handled by trained volunteer facilitators.  The specific curriculum and the small group size (~6 participants in each group) sets up the possibility to build trust with the group and facilitators, and really spend time focusing on grief in specific ways.  The program recommends that participants be several months from their loss, but a facilitator can talk with each participant before the group to discern whether it’s an appropriate time to participate.  All conversations before or during groups are kept confidential.

St Thomas has served as a regional training center for the program, and offers groups at various times throughout the year.  For information about upcoming groups, please contact our parish office at 913-451-0512.

We have a theology of grief that we operate from: grief is not something to get rid of; it is something we learn how to hold as we continue to live.  Walking the Mourner’s Path exercises work in a way similar to physical therapy: by gently talking about our grief, sharing stories, and working with one another, we work the “muscles” that hold grief — muscles most of us don’t use until we have to.  The work is “challenge by choice;” although we encourage one another to share stories and reflect on questions and topics, we respect boundaries and comfort levels.  Grief is about the loss of someone truly holy and important in our lives, and so God is present to the pain we have.

The group uses workbooks and some small materials; all costs are covered by previous participants, who are given the opportunity to sponsor someone if they find the group helpful.

Primary Sidebar

How to Reach Us

Our Church Building
PHONE: 913.451.0512
ADDRESS: 12251 Antioch Road, Overland Park, KS 66213

To contact us by email, please vist the Contact page.

Preparing for SundayClick on the image for this weeks readings.

Newsletter Signup

Live Stream

Youtube

Click the button to join the live stream!

Find us on Facebook

FacebookClick the button to find us on Facebook.

Footer

Worship

Worship

Outreach

Outreach

Youth

Youth

Spiritual Growth

Spiritual Growth

Children

Children

Music

Music

Copyright © 2023 St. Thomas Episcopal Church · Made by Zoo Studios