The Catholic Grief Podcast

Send us Fan Mail In this honest and compassionate episode of The Catholic Grief Podcast , Jenny Burba talks about a tender topic that is well known in the widow community but rarely discussed in Catholic circles: widow’s fire. When a spouse dies, a widow grieves more than the person she loved. She also grieves the loss of affection, physical closeness, marital intimacy, and the sacred bond of cove...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The Catholic Grief Podcast , Jenny Burba shares from her own experience about the first moments of widowhood and the emotions that can follow when life changes in an instant. Jenny talks honestly about the fog, anger, memories, loneliness, dreams, dating after loss, judgment from others, and the pressure widows can feel to grieve according to someone else’s expe...

Send us Fan Mail What do you do when grief comes in layers — loss after loss after loss, with no time to catch your breath? In this episode, I sit down with Nichole Haugen, a Catholic grief coach and former hospice nurse who knows that question from the inside out. Her story is heavy, her faith is honest, and what she shares about bringing your anger to God might be exactly what you need to hear t...

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 day...

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...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 7 is coming — and it's taking a little longer than planned, because some stories deserve more than just getting through them. In this short episode, I'm pulling back the curtain on why recording the story of losing my husband Shawn has been harder than I expected, and why I think that's actually okay. I also share a few honest reflections on widowhood — what...

Send us Fan Mail December 7th, 2014 is a date that divided my life into a clear before and after. In this deeply personal episode of The Catholic Grief Podcast, I share the story of losing my son Maximilian Isaac — a late-term pregnancy loss at 19 weeks and 3 days — and how that grief shaped my faith, my marriage, and ultimately my calling to walk with others through loss. I talk openly about the...

Send us Fan Mail One of the hardest parts of grief isn’t just the loss… It’s the silence. The moments where you pray…  but it feels quiet.  Where you reach for God…  and don’t feel anything in return. In this episode, we talk about what it means when God feels distant in grief. Not from a place of perfect answers…  but from lived experience. You’ll hear:  Why grief can change how we experience God...

Send us Fan Mail After loss… have you ever felt like you don’t recognize yourself anymore? Grief doesn’t just change your life.  It changes how you see who you are. In this episode of The Catholic Grief Podcast , we explore identity after loss… the tension between who you were and who you are now becoming. Together, we talk about:  • Losing roles and sense of self  • The weight of identity shifts...

Send us Fan Mail When did your grief begin? Not just the event…  but the moment everything changed. In this episode of The Catholic Grief Podcast , we explore the true beginning of grief. The quiet, often unspoken moment where something shifts inside of you… and life no longer feels the same. Through personal reflection and faith, we talk about:  • The “moment of shift” in grief  • Shock, confusio...

Send us Fan Mail Grief doesn’t just feel like sadness. Sometimes it feels like nothing.  Sometimes it feels like everything… all at once. In this episode of The Catholic Grief Podcast , we explore what grief actually feels like… and why your emotions may not look the way you expected. Together, we talk about:  • Numbness and emotional disconnection  • Overwhelm and shifting emotions  • Anger, guil...

Send us Fan Mail What do you do when your world falls apart… and God feels silent? At 3:25am, in the middle of a storm and a heartbreak I could not stop, I whispered the only prayer I had left…  God, where are You? Welcome to The Catholic Grief Podcast . I’m Jenny Burba, a Catholic remarried widow, mother of thirteen, and a woman who has lived through profound loss. This is a podcast for those nav...

Send us Fan Mail Have you ever looked at your life and realized it looks nothing like you thought it would? In this first episode of The Catholic Grief Podcast , I share my personal story of grief… from becoming a teenage mother, to pregnancy loss, to losing my husband to COVID and becoming a widow with ten children. This is where my journey begins.  And it is why this podcast exists. Through ever...