Bereavement
Called “The Many Roads to Healing after Loss,” this peer support group is an eight-week structured program meant to provide mutual support for those who have experienced the loss of a loved one. Under the guided leadership of the group’s facilitators, a safe place is created where those who are finding it difficult to move beyond grief into healing can come together in a confidential environment to share their experiences, thoughts and feelings with others who understand. The group’s basis is spiritual, its format is small-group, and its purpose is information, inspiration and spiritual healing. There are three sessions per year, one in the summer, one in the fall and one in the winter.

Contact: Deacon Joe Lynch in care of this website (stpauls@pcyber.net).

The Light (Congregational Assistance Program)
This ministry was established to help anyone whose life, family or friends have been affected by alcoholism, drug abuse or other addictions. Members of this ministry are available to listen confidentially and in a non-judgmental way, to provide a safe support network, and to offer referrals to assistance groups and agencies. Ministry members are not professional counselors, but are under the direction of the Mercer Council on Alcoholism and Drug Addiction (MCADA), trained to listen and provide assistance to those with concerns about alcohol and other substance addictions. The Light can be a bridge to recovery. The prayerful love, concern, openness and personal experience of the ministry’s members can help both the actively addicted and their family members to seek the help they need. Members of the Light understand the importance of serving those in need, promoting the common good and working for the transformation of society through personal and social action. New members are always needed.

Contact: Sharon Brubaker at sharonbru@aol.com.

Addiction resources

Elizabeth Ministry
An outreach effort in which women assist other women during childbearing years, helping to celebrate births as well as assisting in times of crisis due to infertility, failed adoption, infant/child illness or death. Volunteers visit, make phone calls, and send prayers; they support by listening and comforting, but not by giving advice or counsel. Women may share personal stories if appropriate, to empower women to relate to each other in a spirit of inclusiveness and sisterhood. By sharing their stories, women serve one another in an atmosphere of faith, love and hope.

Contact: Kathleen Printon at printon4@aol.com

Family and Individual Counseling
Often someone needs a listening ear and a welcoming heart. Trained pastoral counselors and professional staff provide counseling and spiritual direction to aid in personal growth, healing and reconciliation. Referrals may be made to outside professional therapists or organizations.

Contact: Deacon Paul Lachance at drpal@aol.com

Annulment Advocacy
The Catholic Church believes in the sacrament and permanency of the marriage bond. However, some marriages may never have had the binding force that characterizes the sacrament of marriage and may be annulled. The parish offers clergy and professional staff to counsel for the petition of an annulment.

If you are divorced or in the process of divorcing and wish to initiate annulment proceedings, the Diocese's guidelines are contained in a document called Marriage and the Tribunal.

Contact: Msgr. Nolan, 924-1743 ext 108.

Pre-Cana
Pre-Cana is a diocesan program for couples preparing for the sacrament of matrimony. Sessions consist of up to 30 engaged couples and eight married couples. The format is large- and small-group discussion on topics including finances, lifestyle, sexuality, spirituality, interfaith marriage and liturgy planning. Engaged couples are encouraged to communicate openly with each other in the hope that these discussions will continue long after the completion of the Pre-Cana sessions.

Sessions are offered twice a year at St. Paul’s, in the fall and spring seasons, over the course of a Saturday evening. Sessions end with Mass. Registration for Pre-Cana is done on this website.

The Pre-Cana Marriage Preparation Team consists of married couples who want to help and encourage engaged couples in their commitment to each other. Although couples may come from diverse backgrounds, they share a willingness to talk about their marriage experiences, both rewarding and challenging, from a Catholic Christian perspective. All couples (validly married) are welcome to consider participation in this ministry. Some couples may lead small-group discussions, while others serve in a support capacity. Often, the facilitating couples who prepare talks recognize the forces that have shaped their own marriages and come to see the hand of God in their past experiences. In addition, for those who minister in Pre-Cana, opportunities to socialize and plan occur in the winter and summer.

Contact: Teri McIntire at tmcintire@maya-nj.com.

Rainbows
Rainbows is an international, not-for-profit organization that offers training and curricula for establishing local peer support groups in schools, hospitals, social service agencies, churches or synagogues. The curricula are designed to assist children, adolescents and adults who are grieving a death, divorce, or are experiencing any other painful transition in their family.

The Church of St. Paul seeks to provide support for individuals and families coping with the grief and feelings of loss associated with profound loss or transition. Empathetic adult volunteers are chosen and trained to offer appropriate support, understanding and guidance through their listening skills and the support of the Rainbows materials.