Memory Eternal: Living with Grief as Orthodox Christians

by Sarah Byrne-Martelli

Losing someone we love is never easy, but the Orthodox Church provides a wealth of resources that help us to bear it. Chaplain and bereavement counselor Sarah Byrne-Martelli draws on these theological, scriptural, and liturgical resources, as well as the collected experience of a variety of people undergoing grief and loss, to provide a kind of roadmap to the grieving process. Included in the book is a guide to an eight-week bereavement curriculum that can be used in a group or on one’s own. As Orthodox Christians, we do not seek to "get over" grief but to carry the memory of our loved ones eternally in our hearts.

About the Author: Sarah Byrne-Martelli is an Orthodox board-certified chaplain and bereavement counselor who has served in acute care, palliative care, and hospice since 2002. In her role as a chaplain, she cares for patients and families who are facing serious illness, grief, and loss. Sarah holds a DMin from St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary and an MDiv from Harvard Divinity School. She is on the Board of the Orthodox Christian Association of Medicine, Psychology, and Religion (OCAMPR). Sarah attends St. Mary Orthodox Church in Cambridge, MA, with her husband, Dr. Peter Martelli, and their son, Rafael.