Honoring the Memorial Arch’s Legacy The Faith & Grief Memorial Arch has stood as a sacred gathering place at Klyde Warren Park in Dallas, TX from late November to mid-December for the past ten years. It has been a place to write a loved one’s name on a ribbon. Tie it to the Arch. And feel, even for a moment that your grief was held by something bigger than yourself. Over 5,000 ribbons each year. Ten holiday seasons of showing up for Dallas. This Arch was born in 2016 from one of the darkest moments the city of Dallas has known — the deaths of five first responders at a peace demonstration — and it became something none of us could have predicted: a yearly ritual of remembrance that thousands of people made part of their holiday season. It gave us a place to grieve together even during the pandemic.
But here’s what most people don’t know. While this Arch was standing in Dallas, something else was quietly happening each month. Faith & Grief gatherings for people who are processing the death of a loved one were meeting in sites across DFW and as far as upstate New York and outside Los Angeles.. Real communities. Real people. Sitting with their grief together. These gatherings show that when you create a space for grief — a safe, faith-rooted, community-held space — people come. They seek it. And they are changed by it.
Now our calling is to retire the Memorial Arch and to focus on expanding the gatherings, the workshops, and the retreats to many more faith communities across the United State. No congregation need watch their grieving members suffer in silence when Faith & Grief’s programming is readily available.
Thank you — for every ribbon, every visit, every dollar, every hour of volunteering at the Faith & Grief Memorial Arch. You didn’t just memorialize the people you loved. You helped build a legacy that will comfort grievers across this country for years to come.
And thank you in advance for helping Faith & Grief expand our services. If you belong to a church or faith community — if you can think of even one person in your faith community who is grieving right now and doesn’t know where to turn — we us help them. Talk to your pastor. Talk to your ministry leader. And then visit us at faithandgrief.org. We have the training, the curriculum, and the support ready to go. All we need is a community willing to open the door.”
Call to Action — How to connect your faith community:
• Start the conversation — Bring it to your pastor, grief minister, or congregational care leader.
• Visit faithandgrief.org — Explore the “Host Grief Support in Your Community” page for program details.
• Reach out directly — Contact Faith & Grief at info@faithandgrief.org or 469.616.1795 to learn about bringing gatherings or workshops to your congregation.
• The set-up is easy — Faith & Grief provides the training, curriculum, and ongoing support. The faith community provides the space, the volunteers (for the gathering) and the people who need the support.
