Luke Spinetto ’27 joined Covenant’s grief support group last year when his mother was put on hospice after battling cancer for six years. While he struggled with the emotional implications of his situation, Dr. Sarah Donaldson invited him to the group, and he decided to check it out.
Dr. Donaldson started the group a couple of years ago. She lost her dad in college while she was abroad at the Christian International School of Prague. Since she is very familiar with this issue, when she saw the need, she started the group back up this past spring.
“The idea of the group was to provide comfort and community for people in a tough season of life,” Spinetto said. “Grief can be isolating, so the purpose of the group is not to cure grief, but to give support and show people that they are not alone.”
Last spring semester, Dr. Donaldson led the group using a curriculum of Scripture and different authors, such as C. S. Lewis. On Wednesdays at 5 p.m., four to ten participants would meet to discuss different readings and share each other’s stories.
As Dr. Donaldson is currently on sabbatical in Prague, she was not able to continue running the group this semester. To prevent the disappearance of something that benefited him so much, Spinetto stepped up to run the group with the help of Jalen Spiller ’27.
Spinetto believes that grief is a lot more present on campus than some people might think. “You don’t want there to be a need for the group, but we live in a fallen world and grief is inevitable,” Spinetto said.
Grief can come in many different forms. It does not have to be from the death of a loved one. It can be from divorce; familial unrest; serious health diagnoses of grandparents, parents, siblings, or friends; struggles with chronic illness; or even losing a pet.
Spinetto found talking through his struggles helpful. “It was good to have people who understood what I was going through.” He found comfort and community, and learned how to grieve with hope.
Spinetto and Spiller have held several meetings this semester, but due to a lack of attendance, the group is currently on a temporary hiatus. However, according to Spinetto, they are both still available if anyone wants to grab coffee and chat. Spinetto is hopeful that the group will start back up next semester when Dr. Donaldson returns from Prague.