In Zoey Maraist’s Oct. 28 article “Finding solace after the loss of a loved one,” one of the writer’s suggestions is to start a bereavement group in one’s parish.

At Immaculate Conception Church in Delta, there has been a bereavement support group since 2016, when Father Amador Abundo, our parish priest, gave his blessing for the implementation of this very worthwhile gathering – worthwhile because these are parishioners who have lost loved ones, are hurting, and need to be able to express their feelings in the safe environment of their own parish community.

True, there are other grief support program offered by local hospitals and funeral homes, but, as attendees have pointed out, they are secular and have a finite time frame. Grief cannot be shut off like a tap.

I’m sure there are numerous parishioners out there who are grieving. So, here’s my suggestion (challenge?) to all other parishes: start your own bereavement support group! It is rewarding, simply because something good is happening: those in need feel less abandoned and loved.

Thea Baxter
Delta


Re “Church chatter: why are we so noisy?” Oct. 28:

I agree with Colleen Roy about the virtues of silence, which undoubtedly facilitates intimate encounter with God.

One thinks of 1 Kings 19, where God makes himself present to Elijah neither in the wind, nor the earthquake, nor the fire, but rather in the “still small voice.”

Silence, however, is not an absolute good. The God whom we worship is a God of tenderness, a God who encourages us to draw near to one another.

To Roy’s question, then, of how we can be anything other than silent when in the presence of God in the Eucharist, I answer that it is precisely Eucharistic love that turns us toward our fellow worshippers in greetings, gestures of embrace, and words of love.

Patrick Calderon
Vancouver


Re “Traditional Learning Academy officially ‘Catholic,” (B.C. Catholic, Oct. 28):

While I am glad to see TLA being recognized as a Catholic school by our archdiocese, I find this news a little ironic. For 28 years TLA has always put Catholic faith as its top priority, manifested through school policy, curriculum, and activities.

Among other things, it is the only Catholic school in Vancouver that makes Latin, the official language of our Church, a compulsory subject. Students are also taught Gregorian chant, the official liturgical music of Catholic Church.

Students visit Gardens of Gethsemani on All Souls Day, attend the March for Life, have a Lenten retreat and May crowning of Mary, fundraise for pro-life organizations, and recite daily the Morning Offering, Angelus, Act of Contrition, and Rosary.

Meanwhile, school staff host and coordinate the annual Roman Catholic Challenge.

“Catholic school” is a well-deserved title for TLA, although it comes a little late. I wish the school all the best in the coming years. 

Wing Tang
Surrey