Seasons Of Hope

Pastoral leaders will welcome this parish-proven, highly adaptable, and Christ-centered bereavement program. Created by nationally recognized hospice care and bereavement specialist, M. Donna MacLeod, following the death of her daughter nearly twenty years ago, Seasons of Hope offers twenty-four scripture-based sessions for those who are grieving. These are organized into four six-week seasons that are self-contained and non-sequential. All group sessions follow the same simple format and flow with a comforting blend of commentary, scripture, prayer, simple group exercises, faith-sharing, and Catholic tradition. Seasons of Hope is highly adaptable to fit the individual needs of the grieving in the parish. The comprehensive guidebook and four participant journals, one for each season, give you everything you need from beginning to end.

2016 Speaker's Book Award — Shortlisted A look back over Bartleman’s seventy years, from his childhood of poverty to becoming the Queen’s representative in Ontario. James Bartleman, Ontario’s first Native lieutenant governor, looks back over seventy years to his childhood and youth to describe how learning to read at any early age led him to dream dreams, empowering him to serve his country as an ambassador. In time, Bartleman’s exciting and fulfilling career as a Canadian diplomat took him to a dozen countries around the world, from Bangladesh to Cuba, and from Australia to South Africa. After a vicious beating in a hotel room robbery in South Africa, however, he was forced to come to terms with a deepening depression. In the end, Bartleman found new meaning in life when he became the Queen’s representative in Ontario and mobilized the public to support his initiatives championing books and education for Native children. Seasons of Hope is the extraordinary story of an extraordinary man, and of his constant journey to hope.

Based on his countless occasions to listen to the needs of cancer patients, this chaplain and author reflects on both the reality of life as a cancer patient and the reality of a good and gracious God who promises healing and hope for the journey.

Although God promised to be ever-present and faithful, some situations in life can be so overwhelming that they get in the way of our faith. Combining Scripture passages with brief meditations, Hope for All Seasons helps us with fresh point of view on reasons to put our trust in God, no matter what. Each selection reminds us that God will never fail—He will follow through on His Word, and He will not allow us to be consumed by the everyday challenges of life.

Life contains a rhythm when we see it from beginning to end. Our personal existence is not a series of individual episodes taking place as 'points in time.' Rather, life itself bears us along in a common pilgrimage. At any given time, we are part of a community where birth and death, joy and sorrow, pain and pleasure, as well as sowing and harvesting are taking place. This communal sharing of life replicates all the 'seasons of life.' For each time in our lives there is a corresponding season in the life of the human family. We empower faith by practicing hope every day of our lives.

Seasons of Hope is a unique grief support program for Catholics that focuses on the spiritual side of grieving the death of a loved one. It invites those who mourn to accompany one another and to meet Christ through scripture, prayer, reflection, and simple activities that offer comfort and help to foster healing and spiritual growth. The updated Seasons of Hope Leader’s Guide and four journals can be used by a parish grief ministry. Individuals are also able to use the journals for personal reflection and prayer. You can start with any of the four journals, each of which covers a standalone “season” of six sessions that each have their own theme rooted in a passage from scripture. The Seasons of Hope program was created by author M. Donna MacLeod following the death of her daughter and has been used in thousands of parishes by tens of thousands of people since its original release in 2007. Updates to the new edition of the Leader’s Guide include: a new introduction; a new chapter about offering group sessions online; revised content and activities that meet the challenges and needs of the contemporary Church and culture; an updated resource list; access to online facilitator training materials; and information about caring for those living grief from losses such as suicide, overdose, miscarriage and other child loss, natural disasters, or homicide. The Leader’s Guide continues to include FAQs about creating and sustaining successful grief ministries in your parish. It also provides outlines and scripts for the six group sessions of each season. Those sessions include scripture, prayer, reflection, activities, and faith sharing. The Seasons of Hope Journals, which are perfect for individual and group use, have been revised with a new introduction and updated resource listings. The journals also include Bible references, reflections, prayers, and space for writing.