Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church
Blessed are those who mourn, and those who comfort them.
The Clergy Care Project
FirstHand Experience
Whether you are a new seminary graduate or a senior clergyman, we invite you to share and learn from the experience of those who have offered pastoral care and comfort to the grieving.
Fr. Dimitri Kyritsis was surprised by his own grief long after he responded to a wildfire in Arizona in 2013 that killed many firefighters. His story is a reminder that priests who minister to loss and death in the wake of a community tragedy also need support -- sometimes years later.
Fr. Dimitri Kyritsis recounts a mother’s profound spiritual maturity after her son was killed -- she forgave the perpetrator, embodying a depth of mercy and revealing a layperson’s capacity to model radical forgiveness where trained professionals might falter.
(CC) 2025 by Clergy Care Working Group, a project of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Pittsburgh. Creative Commons: please use freely with attribution.
Funerals and Eulogies are challenging. They are even more challenging with clergy did not personally know the departed. Fr. Stephen Callos tells us how he writes more intimate eulogies for people he did not know well.
Fr. Stephen Callos tells how his house blessings are one way to get to know parishioners. An unexpected benefit is that he can speak personally about them when the time comes for their funeral.