The Catholic Grief Podcast

Jenny Burba

If you are grieving, you do not have to walk this road alone. The Catholic Grief Podcast is a faith-filled companion for Catholics navigating loss of any kind — the death of a spouse, a child, a parent, or the quiet grief of a life that no longer looks the way you expected. Here, we bring our sorrow honestly to the Cross, trusting that Christ meets us in the midst of our pain. As a Catholic woman, I speak to you not only as someone who is rooted in the Church, but also as someone who has walked through profound loss in more than one season of life. I know the questions. I know the silence. I know the long road of rebuilding. This is not a space for quick fixes or easy answers. It is a place for real grief, faithful teaching, and steady hope grounded in Christ and His Church. Through Scripture, Catholic wisdom, and practical encouragement, we learn how to carry sorrow with Jesus and discover that suffering is never wasted in Him. You are welcome here.

  1. 2d ago

    Catholic Grief After Child Loss: Trusting God & Our Lady of Sorrows | Eileen Tully S2E2

    Send us Fan Mail What happens when grief doesn't just break your heart, but shakes the way you understand God? In this episode of The Catholic Grief Podcast, Jenny sits down with Catholic speaker, writer, grief coach, and Those Who Mourn Magazine creator Eileen Tully for an honest conversation about child loss, complicated grief, faith, and learning to trust God when His answer is not the one we prayed for. Eileen shares the heartbreaking story of losing her identical twin daughters, one following an in-utero surgery and the other after 47 days in the NICU. She talks openly about the exhaustion, guilt, relief, trauma, and questions that followed, including the belief that if her faith were stronger, grief somehow wouldn't hurt so much. Together, Jenny and Eileen talk about why grief does not follow a neat set of stages, how loss can change our relationships with God and others, and what it means to return again and again to what we know is true about God when our thoughts tell us otherwise. Eileen also shares how Our Lady of Sorrows became an unexpected companion in her grief, why the words “lift up your hearts” took on an entirely new meaning for her, and how her own search for Catholic grief resources eventually led her to create resources for others. They also share a little about their upcoming Catholic grief workshop, At the Foot of the Cross, and their desire to give grieving Catholics practical, faith-filled tools they wish they had received in the earliest days of their own grief. If your faith has ever felt shaken by loss, your prayers have felt impossible, or you've wondered how to trust God while carrying a broken heart, this conversation is for you. Links: At the Foot of the Cross Workshop registration: https://thosewhomournmag.com/at-the-foot-of-the-cross/ Those Who Mourn Magazine: https://thosewhomournmag.com/ More about Eileen Tully: https://www.eileentully.com/ Support the show Jenny Burba is a Catholic widow, speaker and author helping Catholics navigate grief through faith and creativity. Through her Creative Resilience program, she guides Catholics in gently rebuilding their lives after loss. If this episode spoke to your heart, be sure to follow, share, and leave a review so more Catholics can find hope in their grief. You can learn more, explore resources, and connect with Jenny at jennyburba.com

    Catholic Grief After Child Loss: Trusting God & Our Lady of Sorrows | Eileen Tully S2E2
  2. Aug 25

    Returning After a Break: Grief, Faith, and Moving Forward S2E1

    Send us Fan Mail Season 2 of The Catholic Grief Podcast is here. After an unplanned summer break, Jenny Burba returns to reflect on what it means to step away, come back, and keep moving forward when life does not go according to plan. In this welcome-back episode, Jenny shares why returning to something after a pause can feel surprisingly difficult and how that experience mirrors so much of the grief journey. Our capacity changes. Our needs change. Grief changes us. But taking a break does not mean we have failed or have to start over. Jenny also shares what is ahead for Season 2, including more guest interviews, honest conversations about Catholic grief, widowhood, faith after loss, and a deeper exploration of her Creative Resilience framework and how creativity can help us process grief when words are not enough. Plus, hear about the upcoming At the Foot of the Cross: An Immersive Catholic Grief Workshop, created to give grieving Catholics a space for prayer, reflection, creativity, and honest conversations about loss. If you have ever felt stuck, fallen out of a helpful routine, struggled with your faith after loss, or wondered how to move forward without leaving your loved one behind, this episode is an invitation to simply return. In this episode: Returning after an unexpected breakWhy grief and healing do not follow a perfect timelineGiving yourself grace when your capacity changesWhat Creative Resilience meansWhat to expect in Season 2Catholic grief, faith, creativity, and moving forward after lossSupport the show Jenny Burba is a Catholic widow, speaker and author helping Catholics navigate grief through faith and creativity. Through her Creative Resilience program, she guides Catholics in gently rebuilding their lives after loss. If this episode spoke to your heart, be sure to follow, share, and leave a review so more Catholics can find hope in their grief. You can learn more, explore resources, and connect with Jenny at jennyburba.com

  3. May 14

    How Blessed Am I: Grieving the Loss of a Parent with Theresa Matters E8

    Send us Fan Mail What happens when the person who has always been your rock is suddenly gone?  In this episode, I sit down with Theresa Matters, a certified Catholic mindset coach, speaker, and retreat facilitator inspired by Saint Therese of Lisieux. Theresa shares the story of losing her father, Deacon Randy Matters, suddenly on Mother's Day, the day before his birthday, after only four days in the hospital. He was sixty years old. Theresa opens up about the layers of loss she was navigating all at once, including divorce, a three-year annulment process, and co-parenting three children, all while watching her rock be taken home too soon. She shares her honest wrestling with anger toward God, the slow shift toward healing, and how she has come to see herself and her father as a team, with him interceding for her from heaven. This conversation is for anyone who has lost a parent, who is carrying grief they cannot yet see through, or who needs permission to bring their anger and questions straight to God. You will also hear Theresa's beautiful PB and J practice: Pause, Breathe, and invite Jesus in. A simple tool you can carry into any moment of grief or overwhelm. In this episode: Navigating divorce and a three-year annulment process as a Catholic woman Who Deacon Randy Matters was and the quiet, lasting way he shaped his family The four days in the hospital and the goodbye Theresa did not see coming Wrestling with anger toward God and why that is not a sign of weak faith How Catholic mindset coaching helped open the door to healing Finding gratitude for a father who makes it so hard to lose him Saint Therese, the Little Way, and why Theresa believes they have been journeying together all along  Connect with Theresa: Instagram: @little.way.freedom Email: LittleWayFreedom@gmail.com or hello@theresamatters.com Free resource: Little Way Rose Novena PDF https://mailchi.mp/6bf019fccdd1/fdyrr1tes2 You can also book a free discovery call here: https://calendly.com/littlewayfreedom/welcome30minutecoaching Support the show Jenny Burba is a Catholic widow, speaker and author helping Catholics navigate grief through faith and creativity. Through her Creative Resilience program, she guides Catholics in gently rebuilding their lives after loss. If this episode spoke to your heart, be sure to follow, share, and leave a review so more Catholics can find hope in their grief. You can learn more, explore resources, and connect with Jenny at jennyburba.com

    How Blessed Am I: Grieving the Loss of a Parent with Theresa Matters E8
  4. May 6

    The Day My World Shattered: Losing my Husband E7

    Send us Fan Mail There is a specific kind of grief that comes when you lose the person you were supposed to grow old with. It is not just sadness. It is disorientation. It is your world being turned upside down. In this episode, I share the story of losing my husband Shawn to COVID in October 2021. From the morning we drove to the ER, to the 20 days he spent on a ventilator, to the early hours of October 23rd when I drove to the hospital alone in the rain, praying my rosary, knowing what I was driving toward. This is the longest episode I have recorded so far. It is heavy. But it is also a story about the presence of God in the middle of the worst night of my life. About the priests who showed up. About the friends who carried me. About the peace that came when there were no answers left. And about why, despite not getting the miracle I begged for, I still believe. If you have lost a spouse, especially during COVID, I hope this episode meets you where you are. You are not alone. And you are held. A Note Before Listening This episode contains detailed accounts of hospital experiences, the death of a spouse, and the early hours of grief. Please listen with care, in pieces if you need to, and at a time when you can be gentle with yourself. Support the show Jenny Burba is a Catholic widow, speaker and author helping Catholics navigate grief through faith and creativity. Through her Creative Resilience program, she guides Catholics in gently rebuilding their lives after loss. If this episode spoke to your heart, be sure to follow, share, and leave a review so more Catholics can find hope in their grief. You can learn more, explore resources, and connect with Jenny at jennyburba.com

Ratings & Reviews

About

If you are grieving, you do not have to walk this road alone. The Catholic Grief Podcast is a faith-filled companion for Catholics navigating loss of any kind — the death of a spouse, a child, a parent, or the quiet grief of a life that no longer looks the way you expected. Here, we bring our sorrow honestly to the Cross, trusting that Christ meets us in the midst of our pain. As a Catholic woman, I speak to you not only as someone who is rooted in the Church, but also as someone who has walked through profound loss in more than one season of life. I know the questions. I know the silence. I know the long road of rebuilding. This is not a space for quick fixes or easy answers. It is a place for real grief, faithful teaching, and steady hope grounded in Christ and His Church. Through Scripture, Catholic wisdom, and practical encouragement, we learn how to carry sorrow with Jesus and discover that suffering is never wasted in Him. You are welcome here.