Today is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. The death of a child in the womb or shortly after birth is an incredibly painful event which forever changes those who have experienced it.
The sorrow can deepen a person’s understanding of the precious nature of life and strengthen their resolve to witness to it. Many members of our 40 Days for Life family have walked this road. But the pain can also lead a woman into deep depression and despair, particularly if she chose to, or was forced to, end the life of her child through abortion. Relationship issues, substance abuse disorders, and even suicide attempts sometimes follow.
There are many amazing organizations dedicated to the healing of people wounded by abortion. If you are experiencing this pain, please reach out to any of the ones shown in middle photo below. And if you are pregnant and in need of support, please spare yourself the agony of a lost child — get in touch with any of the dedicated groups in the right-hand photo below for all kinds of help with the specifics of your difficult situation.
who has been wounded by a past abortion, or who needs assistance to choose life for their unborn child!
I want to leave you with a Scripture passage that is very meaningful to me. It was read at the funeral Mass for my unborn son, William, when he died in the second trimester of my pregnancy in May 2012. It’s also, in God’s loving providence, in the Mass readings for today. Our Lord wants each of us to receive His mercy and healing now; and one day, to be fully united to Him and reunited to our children in eternal joy.
On this mountain he will destroy the veil that veils all peoples, the web that is woven over all nations; he will destroy death forever. The Lord GOD will wipe away the tears from every face; the reproach of his people he will remove from the whole earth; for the LORD has spoken.
Isaiah 25:7-8
-Jen
FUEL
We, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Baden, send you our prayers during these 40 Days for Life. Blessings,
Sister Jean Uzupis and the Sisters of St. Joseph
Dearly Beloved in Christ and all 40 Days for Life,
Thank you and God Bless you for your outstanding work to save Mothers and Babies from Abortion. We are praying and fasting with you and for you. We pray for you on a daily basis. We are offering our Holy Masses, Liturgy of the Hours (7 times a day,) our Rosaries, Divine Mercy chaplets, and Hours of Adoration of Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament, our 7 Sorrows of Mary Devotion, all of our special prayers to St. Joseph, Most Holy Mary. We offer our little sacrifices of old age and the ailments that ensue!! May Jesus, Mary & Joseph embrace you with all the love of their Hearts, fill you will new zeal, keep you steadfast in your resolve, sustain you with their strength and fill your hearts with the joy of their sweet Presence with you in this awesome mission. Amen! Your Loving and Grateful,
Carmelite Nuns of Latrobe
Stories from the Sidewalk
It was an odd Sunday morning, with lots of traffic on the street and sidewalk. We had a few encounters with passersby, one who was under the influence of alcohol, and one who was looking for a place to stay tonight. I really appreciated the prayerful presence of Vince, Dave, Marie, and George. We were also grateful that Randy and Bill each stopped to pray on their way to church. Please pray for Bill in a special way on this Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day as he is grieving the death of his baby granddaughter, Imani. May God grant peace and comfort to him and all who suffer this kind of pain.
Jen
And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen. (Philippians 4:19–20) Sometimes the comments by those passing by are a major part of the conversation in these reports. It was a chilly day once again on the sidewalk and between prayers we had some interesting reactions to our presence. One couple kicked over the signs on the other side of the circle but the security guard caught up to them and brought them back to fix things the way they were. Another young man walking his dog called us disgusting “bleeps.” We pray God have mercy on them and melt their hearts. On the positive side, Pat and I commented on the large number of smiles and “good mornings” from pedestrians. We attribute it to the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe — she truly is a miracle worker on Liberty Avenue and Her presence warms hearts. Also encouraging to see the rosary walkers stop on their route to pray with us. A quote attributed to Our Lady: “One day through the Rosary and Scapular I will save the world.” It was surely noticed today.
Many thanks to Pat S., my faithful shift buddy, and George of the K of C for praying with us every week. Another positive was a conversation with a young woman walking past on the tapestry of Our Lady. I am a member of Saint Mary, Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Kittanning, PA; so I was able to tell her the history and meaning of the image. The awesome part, having explained the connection between Our Lady’s visitation to Juan Diego and the end to child sacrifice, she immediately made the connection to the image being present at the abortion facility. Miracles on the sidewalk. God bless!
Ken
Many thanks to the parishioners from Saint Agnes! Parishioners from Epiphany were also with us for half of our time. Good shift today with not much to report. We said a number of Rosaries and a Divine Mercy Chaplet and received a few positive comments from passersby.
Andrew
Jen, thank you for your honest and heart wrenching blog post. Thank you for sharing about the pain that comes with a miscarriage. All of our children, born or unborn are always a part of us. What a beautiful testimony to William. It will surely be a wonderful reunion when you see him again in heaven. God bless you!
As a reminder, as this new week begins praying in front of PP, the Sisters of the Holy Spirit surround you in daily prayer. Blessings upon all the participants this week.
Stay safe and warm as you defend the babies and help the moms.