Abstract:
The value of ritual theory for pastoral care in times of grief. In this article the focus is on
ritual theory and its relevance for pastoral care during the grief process. For these purposes
the first task at hand is finding an appropriate description of what ritual implies, especially
in the context of pastoral care. It includes studying different descriptions from different study
fields to provide a broad theoretical view of ritual and to identify relevant perspectives. This
view is narrowed to ritual as performance as well as legitimisation of experience. Concerning
the pastoral aspect of grief care the research mainly focuses on the work of the Dutch practical
theologian, Corja Menken-Bekius and the American practical theologian David Hogue.
Menken-Bekius’ works on ritual from a clinical pastoral perspective while Hogue gives
a neuropsychological perspective. Included in the processing of these two views are the
works of anthropologist, Roy Rappaport and psychologist, Onno Van der Hart. Finding a
description of ritual is not an easy task. The one offered is created with careful consideration
of the inclusions and exclusions within the ‘idea’ of ritual. Meaning is subjective when it comes
to ritual. A general meaning might be ascribed to a specific ritual, yet each individual might
have a different experience and might attach different meanings. This happens unwittingly
and unwillingly. What is found to be important in the rituals proposed in this article, is the
ability of rituals to provide a framework of order within a situation of chaos and that it also
creates a moment of remembrance.
