As a new program on campus, Anchor of Hope’s goal is to provide grief support to students who need such an outlet. The Center for Student Wellness and the San Damiano Center for Pastoral and Liturgical Ministries teamed together to start up this new group.
“Anchor of Hope is a new grief support outreach ministry for both students and faculty and staff in response to the reality that so many people are grieving loved ones who are lost and that it’s hard to do,” said Amanda Naujoks, the director of the San Damiano Center. “We wanted to give them some kind of support.”
Naujoks went on to explain the meaning behind the title of the group.
“The anchor is meant to say that we, as a Catholic university, have this anchor in our faith that gives us hope in lots of situations, but specifically in understanding and coming to terms with death,” said Naujoks. “Together it’s meant to be a group that would support one another in faith, but it is open to people of all faiths and it is not explicitly religious.”
Naujoks said what prompted the Anchor of Hope program being created.
“I was struck by how many Notice Boards go out about somebody losing a loved one,” said Naujoks. “I didn’t feel like we had enough support for those students, particularly who have lost parents, and so I wanted to figure out something that we could do for them.”
Naujoks said the program does not expect people who have experienced a loss will come every other week, but the program was made so those people have a place to go if needed.
“It’s part of a broader outreach where we want to assure people who have lost someone that they’re being held in our prayers and that we remember the person that they’ve lost, because it can be hard,” said Naujoks. “You can feel alone, like nobody else remembers but you.”
For students interested in getting involved in some way with the program, Naujoks gives a list of people one could talk to for more details.
“[Students with interest in Anchor of Hope] can talk to myself, Fr. Francis, or Dominic Caropreso, a Minister in Residence on First Robinson or Chris Anderson because together we want to create this group and to have it be responsive to what people need,” said Naujoks. “It’s really like an open concept still, as we’ve only had one meeting. After [our Oct. 29] meeting, I think we will see where it should grow to.”
Naujoks specified that everyone is welcome to this grief support group.
“There’s all different kinds of grief and loss, and so this is a nonjudgmental place where it doesn’t need to be your parent or your spouse. It can be any kind of loss,” said Naujoks. “You don’t need to speak and share, but you’re welcome to.”
Naujoks ended with a clear message of welcome and inclusion in this program.
“[Anchor of Hope] is meant to be this nonthreatening, nonjudgmental place to go to find support and to find other people who are going through something similar, but everyone is welcome and we encourage people to bring a friend who might be facing those kind of things,” said Naujoks.
By Landon Allison, Staff Writer
allisolj17@bonaventure.edu
