Organisers of the Beginning Experience in Perth, a ministry for the divorced, separated and bereaved, are hopeful the ministry will be revived, despite closing at the weekend.
Around 60 people gathered on October 26 for a Mass at St Vincent Pallotti chapel in Rossmoyne to celebrate the work the ministry has done over the past 28 years.
President of the Beginning Experience in Perth, Mauz Kay read aloud a letter written by the Asia-Pacific regional president, Margaret Payton.
The letter expressed gratitude towards those who have kept the ministry going, and served as a reminder that a revival is possible.
“We want to honour you today for the courage and determination that you have shown in moving through your experience,” Ms Payton wrote.
“I myself was part of a Beginning Experience springtime after the re-emergence of my own team, as is the Singapore team.
“It is possible, but it comes not in our time but when the winter gives way to spring.”
The Beginning Experience hosts two weekend programs each year for people who have suffered the loss of a spouse or parent through divorce, death or separation.
The program is presented by people who have suffered such loss themselves and, ideally, participants would volunteer to lead the program soon after completing it.
But a lack of committed helpers made it inevitable that the ministry would close, Ms Kay said.
“Over the last few years we’ve had people not being able to commit to coming onto the presenting team,” she said.
“There are several of us who have been on the team for six years… and we need to move on.
“It is a big commitment of time, but that is the way the ministry needs to be to run properly and to give the full benefit to our peers who are still wounded.”
Last year, 23 participants completed the program, but only one person joined the ministry team. The decision to close Beginning Experience in Perth was made soon after.
“I’ve been holding the reigns for the last several years, sometimes a little too tightly, and in the last six months I loosened the reigns a fair bit and now it’s time to let them go,” Ms Kay said.
While she expressed sadness at the ministry’s closure, Ms Kay was hopeful that it would be revived in the near future.
“It’s really sad that 28 years have come and gone and we’re not able to continue,” she said.
“But hopefully somebody will hear the call and take it up.”
With an estimated 1,500 people completing the Beginning Experience program since 1985, there is an obvious need for such a ministry. Ms Kay said the program had transformed many lives and provided healing to those struggling to deal with their loss.
“The Beginning Experience is the most life-changing, powerful program that I’ve ever done and for people who have been involved, it’s been a similar story,” Ms Kay said.
“It really addresses the need of an individual to work through the devastation of losing that life relationship and to move forward, to be able to rebuild themselves.”
Anyone interested in re-establishing the Beginning Experience in Perth can contact the Asia-Pacific regional board via email at aprb@xtra.co.nz.