Grieving with Grace: A Woman's Perspective

by Dolores R. Leckey

Called to Holiness: Spirituality for Catholic Women

When a whole way of life is changed because of a death of some kind, the greatest loss may be that of hope. At this point we may begin an authentic change of direction, a change for the better, what Christians refer to as conversion. In the midst of survival, we sense the challenge to find ways to get in touch with the richness of life here and now and to welcome the next chapters...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0867168889
• ISBN13: 9780867168884
• Release Date: August 2008
• Publisher: Franciscan Media
• Length: 91 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 6.3" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

For Growing as Well as Grieving

Dolores Leckey's latest work, Grieving with Grace, is based on her journals for the year following her husband's death. How to even imagine a future, she wondered, when her heart was broken, when she had lost "the person with whom all the rhythms of daily living have been shared at all levels, body, mind and soul." She found a way, as her journals and reflections show, through prayer, ritual, holy reading, and the support of family and friends. Grieving with Grace is structured around the Church seasons. Each of the four chapters contains a brief introduction, journal entries and reflections, discussion questions, and suggested rituals. Chapter notes, resources, and an index are also provided. Key themes of the book are an expanded view of the communion of saints, new insights into the meaning of resurrection, and devotion to the evening prayer known as Vespers. On the feast of All Saints, Leckey wrote of the connection between this world and "the other" world. During Vespers she sensed "the joining of my praise and intercession with that of others, not only the dead (surely them) but also of the living." She reflected on resurrection as experienced by the living. Examples include a battered wife finding the courage to leave, a woman religious following her inner voice, and suffragettes going to jail to win the vote for future generations. With insights and reflections like these, Leckey speaks not just to those who are mourning, but to all who seek a closer relationship with God. Grieving with Grace is the third book in the Called to Holiness series, focused on women's spirituality. Like the earlier entries, Grieving with Grace is a rich resource for individuals and small groups.