ABSTRACT
The couples approached the Catholic Charities with the issue, and Father Charles T. Rubey, Director of Mental Services of the Catholic Charities at the time, was given the assignment. He began meeting with these three couples and challenged them as to why a separate group should be formed. The issues that they presented convinced him that a special organization should be formed because suicide was different from death by other means. Thus, LOSS was born and began meeting in the homes of the various participants. The meetings were run by Father Rubey with the active participation of the three founding couples and other survivors of a death by suicide. The meetings were held on Sunday evenings beginning at 7:00 P.M. and lasted about 2 hours. A short break in the middle of the meetings allowed people to talk informally and take a break from the emotional heaviness of the meeting. After a time, the meetings were moved to a local Catholic parish to give the group a more public identifi cation. At about the same time, another meeting on the southwest side of Chicago was initiated because of the proliferation of the phenomenon of suicide that was beginning to grip our society. This meeting was held at a Catholic parish on the southwest side of Chicago. Some members wanted to give the organization a name. A few names were suggested, and Elaine Fluder came up with “Loving Outreach to Survivors of Suicide.” The group now had a name: LOSS.
