HUNTERSVILLE — Parents who lost a child through miscarriage or stillbirth were offered a time to come together to find consolation and healing at the second annual Mass of Consolation for Miscarriage and Stillborn Loss and reception on Nov. 16 at St. Mark.
The day began with Mass offered by parochial vicar Fr. Chinonso Nnebe Agumadu who, in his homily, encouraged parents to find healing through the love of Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary, who both know the pain parents suffer. Father Nnebe Agumadu also noted a parents’ loss can be a source of merit, holiness, and an invitation to be united with Christ in heaven, while trusting in God’s mercy.
A cross made of softly flickering white candles was placed in front of the altar. Parents and family members wrote their babies’ names in a book of remembrance and were able to select one of the candles to take home.
After Mass, St. Mark Respect Life Committee, the diocese’s Office of Family Life, and Carolina Pro-Life Action Network hosted a reception for attendees featuring several speakers, including St. Mark Deacon
Thomas Martin and his wife Heather, who have experienced the loss of three babies to miscarriage. They shared their story and offered a personal perspective on how parents can both grieve and heal.
Local author Patrick O’Hearn, a member of St. Dorothy Parish in Lincolnton, shared his family’s experiences with miscarriages and excerpts from his book, Nursery of Heaven: Miscarriage, Stillbirth, and Infant Loss In the Lives of the Saints and Today’s Parents. He discussed how many saints were impacted by miscarriages – including St. Gianna Molla, an Italian wife, doctor and mother who experienced miscarriages and died from complications from a subsequent pregnancy in 1962.
St. Mark parishioner and licensed counselor Christine Wisdom, Executive Director of Wisdom Integrative Counseling, shared her own miscarriage story as well as spiritual and community resources for parents suffering from miscarriage and stillborn loss.
The event concluded with Deacon Martin offering a prayer for parents. Attendees received complimentary copies of O’Hearn’s book, as well as a children’s book explaining miscarriage, Jellybean: A Baby’s Journey to God, written by Theoni and Bastian Bell. Both books are available at Belmont-based Catholic online retailer Holy Heroes.
— Mike Fitzgerald
Watch the talks
Patrick O’Hearn: https://youtu.be/sIuhReC69bw?feature=shared
Christine Wisdom: https://youtu.be/sFUJ5BB9Gco?feature=shared
Diocesan and community resources after a miscarriage
Heaven’s Gains: Pregnancy loss support, caskets and memorial items; www.heavensgain.org
Trappist Monks: Caskets for children; https://trappistcaskets.com/caskets/#cskchild
Red Bird Ministries: Loss of a child from pregnancy through adulthood; www.redbird.love
Be Not Afraid: Poor prenatal diagnosis support: www.benotafraid.net
USCCB: Prayers and resources for parents after a miscarriage www.usccb.org/prayers/blessing-parents-after-miscarriage-or-stillbirth
Reproductive Grief: Educates and equips healthcare professionals and community leaders to help those impacted by reproductive loss https://reproductivegrief.org/
Family Life Office (Diocese of Charlotte): Contact for support, information on donated caskets for infants and miscarried babies, burial sites, medical rights, and more; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Additionally, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., the NFP Program Director to connect with doctors trained in NAPRO Technology/FEMM/Marquette that can be of help in diagnosing hormone imbalance and other reasons for miscarriage, and help restore fertility.
— Family Life Office, Diocese of Charlotte
