29.11.2021
‘Suffering passes but memory remains’ – Service of Light acknowledges pain of grief in the pandemic
Grief in the pandemic has layers and layers of added pain. This was the message at a special Service of Light in St Saviour’s Church in Arklow yesterday (Sunday November 28) acknowledging the impact that the pandemic has had on grieving. The service was held for those in the Diocese of Glendalough who had lost loved ones over the last 20 months and gave space for people to recognise their grief and loss.
Introducing the service the Archdeacon of Glendalough the Ven Neal O’Raw, who represented the Archbishop, said that globally we continue to fight the pandemic and globally we remember those who have died because of it. “But here today we hope you will be able to begin to move on. Grief is not a simple thing. It begins in steps and it ends in steps. We hope this service will be helpful to you today,” he said.
In her address, Canon Lesley Robinson, chairperson of Dublin Bereavement Support Services (a free service which provides bereavement counselling) shared her experience of grief. She said it was not until you had experienced grief that you could understand the magnitude of the pain. She said that while her own faith sustained her, the faith and prayers of others was also important.
“I was comforted by the rituals of death which we in this country are so good at. I remember the strength I got from looking at the people who had come to the funeral and from those who approached me afterwards with words and gestures of comfort,” she explained adding that the gatherings after the funeral enabled stories to be told. “All of those things that are so helpful, particularly in the early days of grief, were taken away from us by Covid. All of you who have lost loved ones have had all of that taken from you by the necessary restrictions imposed,” she added.
“None of us should grieve alone. Yet this is what we are asked to do. Even now without the same restrictions we still cannot gather together after loss. The experience of grief continues to be depleted and diminished. Today, in addition to remembering the lives of loved ones we have lost we are also invited to pause at the foot of the cross on Good Friday… Take the time to realise that you are in a place of darkness but realise that it will not be so forever,” she said urging people who struggled with grief to get help.
As part of the Liturgy of Remembrance, the Rector of Arklow the Revd Arthur Barrett read out the names of almost 60 people who had died in parishes in Glendalough since the start of the pandemic. Prayers were led by the Priest in Charge of the Castlemacadam Group of Parishes, the Revd Suzanne Harris. Members of the congregation were invited to come forward to light a candle in memory of their loved ones. The Archdeacon said: “These lights in their brightness are only symbols but as they burn and finally go out, we remember that suffering passes, though memory remains forever”.
During the service soloist Michael Flood, accompanied on the organ by Stephen Adams, sang a number of hymns and songs including ‘Be still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side’, ‘I watch the sunrise’, ‘Pie Jesu’ and ‘Lord of all hopefulness’.
A similar service took place in Christ Church Cathedral earlier in the month. Anyone looking for support in dealing with grief can access counselling at https://bereavementsupport.ie/
