Focusing on the promise of eternal life brings grieving parents what they need most . . . HOPE.

The death of a child divides a parent's life into a "before" and "after" like no other. Parents not only have a physical and emotional part of themselves ripped away, but they also experience the loss of all of the hopes, dreams, and aspirations they had so completely invested in their child. With this loss, a parent's world radically and dramatically changes forever. This is sorrow like no other.

Friends, relatives, and acquaintances don't know how to approach or console for fear of offending or upsetting the parent. Many parents feel they are treated as if they have a contagious disease. In an attempt to seem normal, or "over it," emotions are suppressed and the parent begins to withdraw or become distant. This reaction, however, compounds the feeling of being totally alone in this experience.

On Nov. 1-3 at LaSalette Retreat Center in Attleboro, MA, the Emmaus Ministry for Grieving Parents is offering a Spiritual Get-Away Weekend Retreat for Grieving Parents, whose precious children of any age have died by any cause, no matter how long ago.

In a safe and tranquil place, very often grieving parents find the peace and comfort they desperately need (at least for a time). They meet other grieving parents who can somewhat understand their pain. They enjoy a beautiful, tranquil setting. Throughout the weekend, they experience the freedom to participate, or not, to talk or not talk, as they see fit.

Grieving parents coming to this retreat are really giving themselves the gift of getting away from everyday life to focus on their own individual spiritual journeys after the death of their children. They focus on questions like: "Where is my child right now? Where is God in my suffering? How do I cope with this unbearable pain? What does the Catholic Church teach about life after death? How do I find hope?"

Emmaus Ministry Spiritual Retreats include prayer services; large- and small-group sessions; one-on-one Emmaus Walks; and Mass and reconciliation, if desired. All sessions are optional. All sessions focus on the fact that, for our children, life has changed, not ended.

Parents who have been to these weekend retreats have said:

"It is amazing to see the differences in the countenances of each of us, compared to what they were when we first came on Friday night. Then, we were unsure and afraid. Now we are happy."

"The retreat reinforced how to maintain and build a relationship with my son, Jesus, and myself. I was previously not confident in doing this."

"I always leave with a sense of peace and a renewed feeling of purpose."

If you are a grieving parent, the Emmaus Ministry for Grieving Parents invites you to give yourself this gift of this weekend away. Pre-registrations at www.emfgp.org is required. Registration closes when the maximum number of participants is reached, usually by early October.

The Emmaus Ministry for Grieving Parents has been offering One-Hour, One-Day, and Weekend Spiritual Retreats in the Archdiocese of Boston since 2009. Currently, the ministry is working with 12 other dioceses throughout the United States to bring this powerful ministry to their grieving parents.

For more information -- or to register -- for this retreat, and other upcoming programs, see www.emfgp.org or call Diane at 800-919-9332.