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First suicide memorial by a US archdiocese signals a compassionate shift by the Catholic Church
The memorial reflects a wider Church shift toward supporting bereaved families and reducing stigma around suicide, advocates said.
- On Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, the Archdiocese of Chicago dedicated the first U.S. suicide memorial at Queen of Heaven Catholic Cemetery in Hillside, Ill., featuring an angel sculpture honoring lives lost to suicide.
- Prior to 1983, the Catholic Church denied consecrated burials to those who died by suicide under a 1917 law, a practice intended to dissuade the act through stigma and exclusion.
- Founded in 1979 by Rubey, the LOSS Program—run by Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago—provides counseling and support for survivors and families grieving those lost to suicide.
- The 1992 Catechism of the Catholic Church states suicide is contrary to God's love, yet acknowledges that grave psychological disturbances can diminish responsibility, signaling a theological shift toward compassion.
- Ed Shoener, co-founder of the Association of Catholic Mental Health Ministers, hopes the Chicago memorial will be replicated nationwide to provide physical spaces where grieving families feel neither shame nor judgment.
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Winnipeg Free Press+20 Reposted by 20 other sources
First suicide memorial by a US archdiocese signals a compassionate shift by the Catholic Church
CHICAGO (AP) — The Rev. Charles Rubey recalls the moment when he realized Catholic priests needed to do a better job supporting families of those who died by suicide.
·Winnipeg, Canada
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First suicide memorial by a US archdiocese signals a compassionate shift by the Catholic Church - Now Georgia
First suicide memorial by a US archdiocese signals a compassionate shift by the Catholic Church CHICAGO (AP) — The Rev. Charles Rubey recalls the moment when he realized Catholic priests needed to do a better job supporting families of those who died by suicide. Two women told Rubey they had asked their parish priest to pray for family members who had killed themselves. At that time, the Catho…
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Leaning Left8Leaning Right3Center9Last UpdatedBias Distribution45% Center
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45% Center
L 40%
C 45%
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