SJRMC's "In God's Arms" Reaches Out to Families Who Have Lost Unborn Children
Losing someone in death at any age is painful enough, but to lose a life unborn through miscarriage is one of the most tragic events families can experience.
Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center hopes to ease the difficulties of such loss through a program called "In God's Arms." Designed to offer solace and comfort to a family whose fetus has died, the program involves caring for the fetal remains in a respectful manner until they are buried in a special memorial service to be held every three months at Southlawn Cemetery in South Bend.
Saint Joseph held its first such In God's Arms memorial service on Sunday, November 12, in front of a crowd of over 50 that included hospital staff and administrators, as well as many area families who came to pay respects to their lost unborn children.
"This is a special way to celebrate a life most people don't have a chance to celebrate because the children die so young," said Nancy R. Hellyer, Saint Joseph's President and CEO. "It allows parents a chance to grieve. Many people who have had miscarriages are holding on to that grief for a long time. This allows them to heal."
In God's Arms is a partnership between Saint Joseph and Palmer Funeral Homes of South Bend. The site includes headstones commemorating each year, beginning with 2006, cemetery plots donated by Palmer Funeral Homes, and a beautiful bench-like memorial.
During the November 12 service, each family laid a carnation on the headstone and a flickering candle on the memorial.
Unlike the vast majority of hospitals that dispose of fetal remains through incineration, Saint Joseph's policy will be burial of all fetuses regardless of gestational age. Should a family choose not to participate in the program, the fetus will still be buried.
"Not only will we provide burial for the fetuses, we will invite parents and family to name their fetus and participate in a memorial service at the burial site," said Pat Rowan, Director of Saint Joseph's Center for Spiritual Care, who helped make In God's Arms possible. "Hopefully, this will enable the parents and other family members to recognize life and have a memorial site to visit rather than merely know they were pregnant and lost their baby."
In keeping with Saint Joseph's mission and core values, which are based on strong Catholic beliefs that life begins at conception, In God's Arms celebrates the lives of infants in the earliest stage, not live born, but who nonetheless have souls.
"The life of a fetus may be extremely short, but life is life and we remember," said Sister Laureen Painter, Saint Joseph's Vice President of Mission Services. "Healing is quite a journey and that's why we are here."
The next In God's Arms memorial service at Southlawn Cemetery will be held in the Spring of 2007.
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