If you clicked to this post, I imagine you want to buy a copy of this book for your parish priest. Thank you so much for your desire to share this resource with them. It means the world to me to know that this book is getting into the hands of people who can use it.
There are a few different reasons why you may want them to have this book. Maybe you’ve been personally hurt by something they said or did in regard to perinatal loss, that lacked knowledge or care. Maybe you’ve been comforted or impressed by their amazing work ministering to loss families, but you still want to make sure that they have all the resources at their disposal as they care for their flock. Maybe you have no idea whether they have ever supported a family through loss, but you want them to be prepared when they do.
It is critically important that we as Catholics have a strong parish community supporting our priests as they provide pastoral care. We can give them the gift of insight by providing them with resources that help them do their difficult jobs better. In this blog post, we’ll go through some ideas for how you can gently and respectfully present this book, as one such resource, to your priest for them to use in their pastoral care for families who experience parental loss.
I encourage you to include a note as an accompaniment to the book, as it gives a personal touch and explains your intent with the gift or appreciation for their vocation. Even better, write a handwritten note to go alongside the book. But, if a handwritten note isn’t an option, remember that if you order the book from somewhere such as Amazon.com, you’ll be able to enter in a typed note (as a gift option), and the printed note will be delivered alongside your gift.
Here are some ideas of what you might say in the note.
Dear Father (name),
I recently came across this book and found it to be a beautiful source of comfort and wisdom. It delves into the challenging questions that families like mine face when dealing with the loss of a little one through miscarriage, stillbirth, or infant loss. Its insights are grounded in our catholic faith, and so I thought it might be a helpful resource to you in your ministry bringing healing to families experiencing such losses.
With my heartfelt thanks for all that you do,
(my name)
Dear Father (name),
I’ve seen how deep your compassion and care is for our community, and I am grateful for that. I believe this book aligns beautifully with the love that you show. It’s written with a deep understanding of our faith’s teachings and the comforts that they can provide during one of the worst tragedies families can experience – a miscarriage, stillbirth, or infant loss. I hope you find it to be a useful resource as you work with our grieving families.
Gratefully,
(my name)
Dear Father (name),
I’m eager to read this book and just as eager to share it with you. There’s so much need for support in our parish community for families who experience miscarriage, stillbirth, and infant loss. If you like this book, maybe we can talk about ways to integrate it into our parish community. I’d like to assist any way I can, from organizing a support group, to organizing a book club discussing this book, to becoming a bereavement doula for our parish. I hope that our whole parish community can work together toward healing and hope for all of our families touched by this kind of grief.
Respectfully,
(my name)
Our pastors face a difficult challenge, ministering to families in a culture that disregards perinatal loss as unimportant or as private to individual families. Our parish communities can be a place of tender and loving care, Christ-like support, and beautiful companionship throughout families grieving journeys. By offering “A Catholic Guide to Miscarriage, Stillbirth, and Infant Loss” to your priest with your encouragement and respect, you are building a more nurturing and knowledgeable community of support for loss families. Thank you for your help in creating a more grief-informed Catholic Church. Thank you for helping our priests do their difficult and beautiful jobs in a more grief-informed way.