Retreat for grieving mothers, grandmothers planned for June

A statue of Our Lady of Grace is at the Verbum Spei Monastery of Our Lady of Ephesus. (ICR photo/Emily Woodham)

By Philip A. Janquart

ICR Editor

A day-long retreat for grieving mothers and grandmother, titled “The Comfort of Prayer on the Journey of Grief,” will be held June 6 at the Monastery of Our Lady of Ephesus in Boise.

Organized in collaboration with Sacred Sorrows—a Catholic ministry that offers retreats, spiritual accompaniment and healing support for mothers and grandmothers who have lost children—the event is designed to provide prayer, community and hope to those carrying profound loss.

For Kim Steinberg, the event is deeply personal.

“Children aren’t supposed to die before their parents,” she told the Idaho Catholic Register.

That is how Steinberg began an article written a year ago about the death of her son, Kieran. In that earlier piece, she described attending a Sacred Sorrows retreat in Tucson—an experience rooted in the Catholic understanding of redemptive suffering and the hope of Christ—that helped ease her sorrow and bring meaning to her loss.

After the article was published, women began approaching her after Mass. One shared the story of her five-year-old grandson. Another asked for prayers for a friend who had lost a baby. Others quietly revealed their own grief—some fresh, some carried for decades.

“These encounters with other mourning mothers pierced the dull gray world of my grief,” Steinberg said, “awakening a deep well of compassion and an insistent desire to act.”

That desire led to the creation of the upcoming Boise retreat.

“Every grieving parent deserves the kind of spiritual care, nurturing and peace I received,” she said. “I couldn’t keep that experience to myself.”

Recognizing that many women would not be able to travel out of state, she felt called to bring Sacred Sorrows to Idaho. She also wanted to ensure fathers—who carry the same loss in their own way—would not be overlooked.

The effort came amid her own continuing struggle with grief. Even two years after her son’s death, daily life could feel overwhelming.

In A Grief Observed, C. S. Lewis writes, “There is a sort of invisible blanket between the world and me. I find it hard to take in what anyone says.” The words resonated deeply. Many days, Steinberg said, passed in a blur.

Planning an event felt daunting, but Steinberg drew strength from the spirituality of Thérèse of Lisieux, recalling her words: “God would never inspire me with desires which cannot be realized.”

Trusting in that, she began reaching out. With encouragement from her parish pastor at St. Mary’s, Father John Kucera, and a welcoming response from the Monastery of Our Lady of Ephesus, the retreat began to take shape.

Support soon followed.

Two women from a small Bible study group at St. Mary’s—both of whom had experienced similar losses—stepped forward to help. They were joined by Rita Morton, founder of Sacred Sorrows, and priests from the monastery. They planned the June 6 retreat, offering both practical support and the emotional strength needed to move forward.

“One last question remained,” she said. “How could we include fathers while still honoring the unique needs of mothers?”

The answer came through the Church’s sacramental life. While the daytime retreat is focused on women, fathers are invited to participate in a concluding Mass—an experience she remembers as profoundly moving during her own retreat in Tucson.

“The sacraments shower graces down upon us,” she said.

Registration for the retreat is now open at sacredsorrows.org. Financial assistance is available, and organizers encourage others to sponsor a mother or grandmother who may not otherwise be able to attend.

The Diocese of Boise has also embraced the ministry, offering its support.

“We’re grateful,” she said. “Most of all, for the Lord’s grace and mercy, which have provided strength, opened doors and blessed our way.”