Out of the Shadow: Responding to Suicide

Description

During his seven-year ministry in Belfast, Fr Aidan Troy dealt, on many occasions, with the heartbreak of the aftermath of suicide and was profoundly affected by the enormous sorrow of the bereaved. Out of the Shadow: Responding to Suicide attempts to provide some personal advice to anyone who has to deal in a professional capacity with such a traumatic situation, be it in parish, hospital, school or college setting. Although it is written from the perspective of a Catholic priest, it is the hope of Fr Aidan that this book will also offer useful insights to ministers of other Christian faiths, to bereavement and suicide support groups and to all involved in ministry, whether ordained or otherwise.

This book does not deal with statistics, medical or sociological data, nor does it try to explain suicide. It does not provide ready answers or approaches. It is not possible to neatly package in any way the terrible moment of discovery, the journey through the next few days or the years that lie ahead. Instead it attempts to offer a compassionate, pastoral response to the devastating news of the death of a loved one through suicide. There will be gaps that only the reader can fill in, in the light of their own circumstances.