Encore Webinar: Sarah Byrne Martelli Being a Ministry of Presence to the Grieving  

Especially over the past few years, ministers have had to navigate a difficult landscape of loss of life and livelihood, and help family members and fellow parishioners through the grieving process while also hurting themselves. Through a combination of presentation and breakout sessions, Orthodox clinical chaplain Sarah Byrne-Martelli, will demonstrate that being there for a loved one is a holy and powerful work that anyone in the parish can do successfully (not just the priest) with the right guidance and resources. She will offer practical tips on how ministers can focus their attention on the sufferer, comforting them—when tears flow—even though we are discomforted ourselves, and enabling the person to share their story and their pain, authentically and empathetically.

This session is an encore presentation based on content offered at 2022 Parish Development Forum.

About the Presenter 

Sarah Byrne-Martelli, DMin BCC, is an Orthodox lay chaplain and bereavement counselor who has served in Acute Care and Hospice since 2002. She is the author of the forthcoming book from Ancient Faith Publications, "Memory Eternal: Living with Grief as Orthodox Christians." She is the Inpatient Chaplain for the Massachusetts General Hospital Division of Palliative Care. Sarah is endorsed by the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese. She attends St. Mary Orthodox Church in Cambridge, MA, with her husband, Dr. Peter Martelli, and their son Rafael. Sarah holds a Doctor of Ministry from St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary and a Master of Divinity from Harvard Divinity School.