Grief Support
Grief in college is a unique experience and may feeling isolating. Campus Ministry strives to offer spaces for students to not feel so alone in their grief. Below you will find different ways we are able to offer support.
Meet with a Campus Minister
Our Campus Minister for Pastoral Care is available to meet on a short or long term basis to process through the grief you are carrying. To schedule a meeting with her, please email Claire Erlenborn at cerlenborn@luc.edu.
Grief Group
Wednesdays from 4-5pm in Damen
Campus Ministry offers a peer support group for students experiencing grief and loss that is co-facilitated with the Wellness Center. This nine week group will cover psycho-education around grief, give students space to process with each other, and explore ways to ritualize and honor grief. The group will start Wednesday, September 24th and will run through November 12th. Meetings will be held from 4-5pm on Lakeshore Campus.
Interested students can fill out this form.
Grief Retreat:
November 14, 2025 (5:00-9:00PM)
Have you lost someone in your life? Is it hard to talk about it at school, especially around people who haven't experienced grief themselves? Do you want some structured time to sit with your grief so it doesn't feel so heavy?
If these feelings resonate with you, we invite you to join us on the Grief Retreat this fall. This retreat is an evening of reflection which will feature community building, reflection activities, and time to chat over some good food. The retreat will take place over a Friday evening, starting at 5PM with dinner and running to 9PM. The retreat is open to all Loyola undergraduate and graduate students who have experienced grief or loss. Once you have submitted your registration you will receive outreach from the Campus Minister for Pastoral Care for a pre-retreat prep meeting. This retreat is open to all students whether they have participated in the Grief Support or not.
Registration is currently closed for the Fall 2025 Grief Retreat.
Please contact Claire Erlenborn at 773-508-2197 or cerlenborn@luc.edu with questions.
Grief Resources
Organizations that can provide help:
"Actively Moving Forward® (AMF), a HealGrief® program, is a national network created in response to the needs of grieving young adults. For over a decade, we have connected, supported, and empowered grieving young adults to “actively move forward” in memory of their person."
The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
"Established in 1987, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) is a voluntary health organization that gives those affected by suicide a nationwide community empowered by research, education and advocacy to take action against this leading cause of death. AFSP is dedicated to saving lives and bringing hope to those affected by suicide, including those who have experienced a loss."
Articles to help with processing grief:
The 5 Stages of Grief and Other Lies that Don't Help Anyone.
Explains that the “5 stages of grief” are not really stages…each person’s experience of grief is unique and does not have a timeline.
How our brain responds to grief.
Outlines what to expect when grieving and what you can “do” to seek support and/or care for yourself while grieving
A poem by Morgan Harper Nichols.
Prayer When a Loved One Has Died
A prayer by Joyce Rupp
Grief in college is a unique experience and may feeling isolating. Campus Ministry strives to offer spaces for students to not feel so alone in their grief. Below you will find different ways we are able to offer support.
Meet with a Campus Minister
Our Campus Minister for Pastoral Care is available to meet on a short or long term basis to process through the grief you are carrying. To schedule a meeting with her, please email Claire Erlenborn at cerlenborn@luc.edu.
Grief Group
Wednesdays from 4-5pm in Damen
Campus Ministry offers a peer support group for students experiencing grief and loss that is co-facilitated with the Wellness Center. This nine week group will cover psycho-education around grief, give students space to process with each other, and explore ways to ritualize and honor grief. The group will start Wednesday, September 24th and will run through November 12th. Meetings will be held from 4-5pm on Lakeshore Campus.
Interested students can fill out this form.
Grief Retreat:
November 14, 2025 (5:00-9:00PM)
Have you lost someone in your life? Is it hard to talk about it at school, especially around people who haven't experienced grief themselves? Do you want some structured time to sit with your grief so it doesn't feel so heavy?
If these feelings resonate with you, we invite you to join us on the Grief Retreat this fall. This retreat is an evening of reflection which will feature community building, reflection activities, and time to chat over some good food. The retreat will take place over a Friday evening, starting at 5PM with dinner and running to 9PM. The retreat is open to all Loyola undergraduate and graduate students who have experienced grief or loss. Once you have submitted your registration you will receive outreach from the Campus Minister for Pastoral Care for a pre-retreat prep meeting. This retreat is open to all students whether they have participated in the Grief Support or not.
Registration is currently closed for the Fall 2025 Grief Retreat.
Please contact Claire Erlenborn at 773-508-2197 or cerlenborn@luc.edu with questions.