Suicide Survivors Ministry

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 (TALK)

• TEXT the Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 741-741

• A Step Toward Healing the Wounds of Suicide Survivors

• American Foundation for Suicide Prevention 

• Alliance of Hope for Suicide Loss Survivors 

• The Hope Line

• National Suicide Prevention Life Line

• Siblings Survivors of Suicide Loss

• Our Side of Suicide

• The Mighty

• Just Carry On Breathing

• Long Island Pulse

The mission of the Suicide Survivors ministry is to provide healing and compassionate support in a Christian setting to those who have suffered the loss of a loved one through suicide.  

"The longer we don’t tell our story, the more we grow ourselves around the pain of what is not told.  The truth is that telling heals.  Not just once, but as a God given way to flush out the buildup of scar tissue that clogs our being.  This is one fundamental purpose of human voice: to irrigate the heart dammed up with experience.  And once the telling begins...it shows us how to lose and how to heal...how to face what seems unfaceable."  
-Mark Nepo

In honor of the International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day on November 23, 2019, the Office of Marriage and Family Life will host a special Mass of remembrance of those who lost their lives to suicide. Join us at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist Church on Saturday, November 23, 2019 at 10:00 AM.  All those who attend are invited to bring a tabletop framed photo of their loved one to the Mass so it can be displayed next to their loved ones candle near the altar. Please register the name of your loved one that died by suicide for the Mass by clicking HERE.  For more information, call the Office of Marriage and Family Life at 337-261-5653.

The death of a loved one is never easy and grief is experienced differently for everyone. The Family Tree provides support groups that are especially tailored for survivors of suicide. These group meet in Lafayette and Opelousas and provide a safe place for those who have lost a loved one to suicide to share their struggles, experiences, and pain as they struggle to regain hope and strength. The groups are facilitated by licensed counselors and are open to all survivors of suicide over the age of 18. The groups meet on two evenings each month and are free.

Please click HERE or call the Family Tree at (337) 981-2180 for more information about the groups or to register.

Office of Marriage & Family Life
Fr. Jude Halphen, Ph.D. specializes in adults, 18 years or older. Services are free of charge. Call the Office of Marriage and Family Life at 337-261-5653 to schedule an appointment or to receive a referral counseling list.

Picard Center
Free counseling services are provided by graduate students. Appointments are scheduled during the fall and spring semesters. For more information, please contact Clinic for Counseling and Personal Development (CCPD) at 337-482-1018.

The Family Tree 
The counseling program is comprised of licensed counselors and/or counselors working towards licensure, who provide assistance and guidance in resolving personal, social, or psychological problems and difficulties. Counselors provide a variety of assistance to individuals, families, step-families, single parents, couples, senior citizens, teens and children ages three and older. Topics can include: relationships, parenting challenges, LGBTQIA, coping with divorce, recovering from a crisis or disaster, coping with grief or loss, anxiety, depression, addictions, and stress and anger management. Counselors utilize a variety of models to meet your needs including, Gotman, Play Therapy, Parent Child Interaction Therapy, and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy. Counselors also provide onsite mental health services to the aging population for Long Term Care Facilities, Skilled Nursing Facilities, Rehabilitation Facilities, and Assisted Living Facilities. Pet assisted therapy provided by Pet Partners upon request and as available. For more information please call the office at (337) 981-2180 to schedule your appointment 

What does it mean to be a “suicide survivor”? 
A suicide survivor refers to someone who has lost a friend or family member through suicide.  It is not a term that refers to an individual who has attempted suicide in the past.

If my loved one dies by suicide, will they go straight to hell?
While the Catechism of the Catholic Church does state that suicide is forbidden by the fifth commandment (2325), and that everyone must be responsible stewards of the life God has granted to each of us (2280), it also emphasizes that:

“We should not despair of the eternal salvation of persons who have taken their own lives.  By ways known to him alone, God can provide the opportunity for salutary repentance.  The Church prays for persons who have taken their own lives.” (2283) 

This passage also references that, “God predestines no one to go to hell; for this, a willful turning away from God (a mortal sin) is necessary, and persistence in it until the end.” (1037)  Furthermore, the Catechism acknowledges that, “Grave psychological disturbances, anguish, or grave fear of hardship, suffering, or torture can diminish the responsibility of the one committing suicide.” (2282)

My loved one died by suicide--what sort of grief support is available to me?
Attending a support ministry, attending counseling sessions, or even participating in a grief retreat can help you to grieve.  For information on grief support ministries in this diocese, please visit our Grief Support page.