On March 1, 2026, at Boston College, Samaritans hosted its Annual Memorial, a gathering of healing and support for suicide loss survivors.
The event included readings from community members in memory of their loved ones, a candle lighting ceremony, and a reception that invited conversation and connection among loss survivors.
Memorials like this are acts of courage.
“It takes courage to say, ‘This person mattered.’ It takes courage to speak their name out loud,” said Sissi O’Shaughnessy, Samaritans senior director of suicide grief support services. “To cry in front of strangers. To tell their stories. To sit beside someone else’s pain. Something incredible happens when we do those things—grief stops being so lonely.”
During a candle ceremony that honored the memory of those lost to suicide, each participant had an opportunity to say the name of their loved one as they turned on their candle.
“When someone dies by suicide, the world can get quiet fast,” Sissi said. “People get uncomfortable, avoid the topic, or change the subject. But we don’t do that. We say their names and remember their quirks because they are so much more than how they died. They are our people, and they are still part of our story.”
View photos of the Annual Memorial.
Connect with Loss Survivors
If you are grieving a loss to suicide, you are not alone. View a calendar of upcoming SafePlace meetings and other grief support services.
