Unlike Any Other: The Sorrow of Parents Whose Children Have Died

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PRESENTERS: Charley Monaghan and Diane Monaghan

Thursday, May 19, 2022

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Ministering to grieving parents is daunting.  Diocesan Family Life Ministers and parish personnel typically have no frame of reference, and no idea of what to say or what to do.  This presentation will provide insights into what life is like for a grieving parent, as well as recommendations on how to (and how not to) minister to them.

Charley Monaghan is a former bank president; Diane Monaghan is a former collegiate Vice President for Academic Affairs. The Monaghans lost their beautiful son, Paul, to suicide in 2002, when their lives radically changed forever. After years of questioning, losing, and regaining their Catholic faith, they finally found true peace, comfort, and hope in the rich teachings of the Catholic Church. Consequently, in 2009, they founded the Emmaus Ministry for Grieving Parents, which serves the spiritual needs of parents whose children of any age have died by any cause, no matter how long ago. Currently, they are working with dioceses and parishes all over the United States to bring this powerful ministry–at NO cost–to grieving parents who need it most.