When a Loved One Dies by Suicide (Paperback)

When someone you love dies by suicide, confusion, shame, and guilt often add to the emotional upheaval and spiritual turmoil in your life. When a Loved One Dies by Suicide was written by Catholics who have lost a loved one due to suicide. The contributors share their personal stories of loss, of learning to cope with the crushing grief, of finding comfort in faith and community, and of discovering hope as they began to move forward again.

Winner of a second-place award in the general interest category from the Association of Catholic Publishers and and honorable mention in grief and bereavement from the Catholic Media Association.

Suicide, although common, too often is hidden in our culture and in the Catholic Church. When a Loved One Dies by Suicide dispels the misconceptions about what the Church teaches about suicide and offers a wealth of guidance and support to help you find your own path toward healing. The contributors include Deacon Ed Shoener, Bishop John P. Dolan, Msgr. Charles Pope, Leticia Adams, Tom and Fran Smith, and clinical experts in the field of mental health and suicide.

In this book, you will find:

• encouragement with practical matters such as taking care of yourself emotionally, physically, and spiritually;
• ways to let others know what you need and find a network of support;
• guidance to tell your story when you’re ready to share it;
• prayers of comfort and encouragement;
• solace, hope, and healing from within the rich traditions and teachings of the Catholic Church; and
• information for how to help others experiencing a similar loss, if and when you are drawn to do so.

The Association of Catholic Mental Health Ministers is a lay association whose members walk with people living with a mental illness and their families to help them find the support and services that they need. ACMHM members work to eliminate the stigma and discrimination that people living with a mental illness encounter in the Church and in the world. Members strive to strengthen mental health ministry in the Catholic Church by networking and sharing resources.

Ed Shoener was ordained a permanent deacon in 2004 and serves at St. Peter’s Cathedral in the Diocese of Scranton. He is a founding member of the Association of Catholic Mental Health Ministers, the Catholic Institute of Mental Health Ministry at the University of San Diego, and the Scranton Mental Health Ministry. He serves on the boards of the Council on Mental Illness, National Catholic Partnership on Disability, and Pathways to Promise. He earned a graduate certificate in spiritual direction from the Aquinas Institute of Theology.

Shoener is president of Shoener Environmental Consulting. He has a bachelor of science degree in environmental research management from Penn State University, where he also earned a master’s degree in environmental protection control.

Shoener's family and friends founded The Katie Foundation after his daughter, Kathleen, died by suicide in 2016. The obituary he wrote for her went viral. The Shoeners live in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

Most Rev. John P. Dolan is the bishop of the Diocese of Phoenix. Ordained to the priesthood in 1989, Dolan previously served as auxiliary bishop of San Diego from 2017 to 2022.

He is the chaplain of the Lost Boys of Sudan, a member of the Catholic Institute for Mental Health Ministry, and a board member of Father Joe’s Villages, a ministry to the homeless. Dolan earned his bachelor’s degree in philosophy from the University of San Diego and master’s degrees in divinity and theology from St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park, California. He is the author of Rose of Lima: A Nine-Day Study of Her Life, and Who is Like God? A Nine-Day Journey with St. Michael.