Memorial Garden,Greenbay Diocese,USA
Hello Myke & Miriam,
It was a pleasure talking with you on the phone yesterday. I am so glad that you contacted me. It is truly touching that you found out about our Miscarriage and Infant Loss Memorial Service from so far away. I've been very involved with our service since the beginning of it. This will be our 4th year offering the service. Even though attendance at the service is not huge (between 15 - 20 people, typically), it is so wonderful to provide comfort, healing and prayer for the people that do attend. There are many who cannot attend our service, yet ask that we remember their babies. It is our honor to send up prayers for them and their lost children as well. We light a candle for each child that we remember during the service. Each year there are between 25 - 30 babies that we remember.
Mary Tanzi
Resurrection Catholic Church
333 Hilltop Drive
Green Bay, Wisconsin
MISCARRIAGE AND INFANT
LOSS MEMORIAL
Sunday, June 5, 2005, 1900hrs
Resurrection Catholic Church
333 Hilltop Drive
Green Bay, Wisconsin,USA
The Memorial Service was sponsored by Resurrection Elizabeth Ministry and was open
to all faiths and churches.
MARY TANZI,OUR REPORTER IN GREENBAY,WISCONCIN,USA,FILED THE FOLLOWING REPORT 1740HRS 6th JUNE 2005.
Last night we remembered 27 babies. We had 19 guests, plus 9 helping with the service, for a total of 28 people in attendance. The service began at 7:00pm and ended shortly after 8:00 pm. I led a good majority of the service, and Dawn Matheson did the Bible readings which were Psalm 46: 1-4 and Matthew 11:25 - 30. The piano music was provided by Patti Cole and Kristin Steel sang beautifully for us. The song that Kristin sang was "The Hand of God Will Hold You". Together we also sang "Prayer of St. Francis".
Our guest speaker, who gave the reflection, was Joan Bartman who has been a pastoral associate for the Green Bay Diocese for several years. Her reflection tied in the Bible readings and the lyrics of the special music song very well. She spoke of the grieving process and finding healing after the loss of a child. She herself miscarried a child many years ago and she knows of the pain experienced with a miscarriage. Joan conveyed a comforting message of God reaching out with both hands and holding close the infants who were lost. Her reflection was very touching and meaningful to all.
Cindy Nelson assisted me with the lighting of the candles for each child and also with planting the perrenial in the memorial garden. The following is from the letter that I typed to you earlier this a.m.:
This year's service was the most touching and beautiful one yet. The Holy Spirit was present in a very powerful way. Our predicted weather was for severe storms and the skies were pretty menacing at the start of the service. The whole time I was praying that it wouldn't rain so that we could make our procession to the memorial garden. That is such a symbolic and meaningful part of the service. Toward the end of our time in church is when we read off the babies names and light the candles. As I begun to read the names, a ray of sunshine broke through and streamed right across the alter where the candles were set. The sunshine continued to peak through the clouds during the memorial planting at the garden and then, I swear...just as I said "amen" after the final prayer, it started to rain..."tears from heaven" as one mother attending said. Very moving!
THE RITE OF THE SERVICE
(Instrumental music before the service)
Welcome Mary TanziWelcome and thank you all for coming. This memorial service is in memory of all our precious babies.
Although the circumstances of our losses are greatly varied, we share the common need to keep remembering our babies and the love for them which lives on in our hearts. Unlike the loss of an older child or an adult, we are not left with an abundance of pictures and mementos to help us remember, nor are there many people who truly share or understand the depth of our love for our child. In many cases, our babies were known only to us, in the hopes and the dreams we had for them as they existed in their mother's womb, or the precious but little time we spent with them after their birth. Our memories of them had their beginnings in our hearts, and will continue to live on there as a very important part of us. It is this love, those memories, that we seek to recognize here today.
Let us take this opportunity today to remember our babies. Feel free to cry, for our pain is real and our loss unmeasureable. Feel free also, to be happy for the short time we shared with our babies and the ways in which they have changed us forever.
Opening Prayer Mary Tanzi
Please join me in reading the opening prayer which can be found in your bulletin.
Serenity Prayer
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things
I cannot change
Courage to change the things I can
and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardship as the pathway to peace.
Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is,
Not as I would have it.
Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life,
and supremely happy with Him forever in the next.
The opening song is Prayer of St. Francis which is song #476 in the hymnal.
Opening Song (Sing together) Prayer of St. Francis #476
First Reading Psalm 46: 1-4 Dawn Matheson
God is our refuge and our strength, an ever-present help in distress.
Therefore we fear not, though the earth be shaken and mountains plunge into the depths of the sea;
Though its waters rage and foam and the mountains quake at its surging. The Lord of hosts is with us; our stronghold is the God of Jacob.
Psalm Response Mary Tanzi Leader: God hear my cry for help, listen to my prayer. From the end of the earth I call to You with heavy
heart.
All: Rest in God alone, my soul, the source of my hope!
Leader: In God alone there is rest for my soul, from God comes my safety; God alone is my rock, my
safety, my fortress, I will not fall.
All: Rest in God alone my soul, the source of my hope!
Leader: In You, God, I find shelter. Dear people, rely on God at all times, unburden your hearts to the
Lord, God is a shelter for us.
All: Rest in God alone, my soul, the source of my hope!
All: God not only hears us, but listens to our prayer. Blessed be God, who neither ignores our
prayer nor deprives us of deserving love.
Second Reading Matthew 11: 25-30 Dawn Matheson
On one occasion Jesus spoke thus: "Father, Lord of heaven and earth, to you I offer praise; for what you have hidden from the learned and the clever you have revealed to the merest children. Father, it is true. You have graciously willed it so. Everything has been given over to me by my Father. No one knows the Son but the Father, and no one knows the Father but the Son-and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him. "Come to me, all you who are weary and find life burdensome, and I will refresh you. Take my yoke upon your shoulders and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart. Your souls will find rest, for my yoke is easy and my burden light.
Special Music The Hand of God Will Hold You Kristin Steel
Reflection Joan Bartman
Lighting of Candles and Naming of Children Mary Tanzi and Cindy Nelson
(instrumental music during)
The light of a flame has always been symbolic to the human world: The eternal flame stands for the remembrance of those gone before; the light of a candle has come to represent rebirth and renewal. These two meanings are incorporated in the lighting of these candles. Let this light signify the ever-present love and memory of our children that will always live on in our hearts. At the same time, let it symbolize the renewal we must seek as we continue life without our beloved children and strive to walk on with others. When the name of your child is read, please come up to receive a candle. (Mary will read names from the program insert and Cindy will light the candles and present to families. One candle per family. If no family member is present to accept candle just light it and leave it on the table.)
(Intercessions Mary Tanzi)
Response: Lord, continue to be with us
Leader: For the times of unending tears, pain, and struggle; times of not being understood by family, friends, times of longing and emptiness, times of not being in control, times of searching
within and without. We pray...
Response
Leader: For all the memories of our babies; for any brief moment of being with our babies, for those who
walked the journey of mourning with us, for each time of remembering. We pray...
Response
Leader: For the times of letting go, for the times of reaching out, for each new day and each ray of hope,
for the gifts our babies left us: in giving us new eyes with which to see, new ears to help us
hear others, a new heart to love more deeply, and for new values in our lives. We pray...
Response.
We will now process to the Memorial Garden.
(Instrumental music as we process out.)
Procession to the Memorial Garden & the Memorial Planting Mary Tanzi
We come together today for a living memorial to all the babies whose precious lives ended too soon, babies whose lives have brought love and joy, grief and pain, babies whose death brought shattered dreams and later new hope and joy, babies who have taught us to love and to live again. Their lives have changed each of us here, and many, many other people. Their greatest gift was their life, just being-their presence and their love. They have touched all who have been part of their lives, and those they touched can never be the same again.
For many whose babies were born early in the pregnancy there is no gravesite to visit, no grave to decorate, no headstone to memorialize their precious baby. This garden will continue to grow and become a special place for us to come and remember each special baby. Remembering is an important part of relating with the baby and we want others to remember also. Our planting of a perennial in the memorial garden today is another way of recognizing God's love for each baby, and our continuing love-a love that never ends.
(Planting of the perennial) Cindy Nelson
Closing Prayer Mary Tanzi
God of creation, be present here as we gather to remember our babies. Place your blessing upon this perennial that we are planting today. May it be embraced by Mother Earth, fed by gentle rain and kissed warmly by the sun. May we come to know more fully, in visiting this garden , that nothing dies, rather life is transformed into new life. May your peace and blessings come upon the families that have gathered here. Fill their sorrow with joy; their emptiness with the fullness of faith. Be with them to offer them the comfort of your presence. May the remembrance of this day bring joy to their lives, for their children, destined for eternal joy, are now with God for all eternity. Amen
We invite all families to please take a gift from the table just outside of the chapel door. Please join us now for a reception in the Gathering Area.
Hello Myke & Miriam,
It was a pleasure talking with you on the phone yesterday. I am so glad that you contacted me. It is truly touching that you found out about our Miscarriage and Infant Loss Memorial Service from so far away. I've been very involved with our service since the beginning of it. This will be our 4th year offering the service. Even though attendance at the service is not huge (between 15 - 20 people, typically), it is so wonderful to provide comfort, healing and prayer for the people that do attend. There are many who cannot attend our service, yet ask that we remember their babies. It is our honor to send up prayers for them and their lost children as well. We light a candle for each child that we remember during the service. Each year there are between 25 - 30 babies that we remember.
Mary Tanzi
Resurrection Catholic Church
333 Hilltop Drive
Green Bay, Wisconsin
MISCARRIAGE AND INFANT
LOSS MEMORIAL
Sunday, June 5, 2005, 1900hrs
Resurrection Catholic Church
333 Hilltop Drive
Green Bay, Wisconsin,USA
The Memorial Service was sponsored by Resurrection Elizabeth Ministry and was open
to all faiths and churches.
MARY TANZI,OUR REPORTER IN GREENBAY,WISCONCIN,USA,FILED THE FOLLOWING REPORT 1740HRS 6th JUNE 2005.
Last night we remembered 27 babies. We had 19 guests, plus 9 helping with the service, for a total of 28 people in attendance. The service began at 7:00pm and ended shortly after 8:00 pm. I led a good majority of the service, and Dawn Matheson did the Bible readings which were Psalm 46: 1-4 and Matthew 11:25 - 30. The piano music was provided by Patti Cole and Kristin Steel sang beautifully for us. The song that Kristin sang was "The Hand of God Will Hold You". Together we also sang "Prayer of St. Francis".
Our guest speaker, who gave the reflection, was Joan Bartman who has been a pastoral associate for the Green Bay Diocese for several years. Her reflection tied in the Bible readings and the lyrics of the special music song very well. She spoke of the grieving process and finding healing after the loss of a child. She herself miscarried a child many years ago and she knows of the pain experienced with a miscarriage. Joan conveyed a comforting message of God reaching out with both hands and holding close the infants who were lost. Her reflection was very touching and meaningful to all.
Cindy Nelson assisted me with the lighting of the candles for each child and also with planting the perrenial in the memorial garden. The following is from the letter that I typed to you earlier this a.m.:
This year's service was the most touching and beautiful one yet. The Holy Spirit was present in a very powerful way. Our predicted weather was for severe storms and the skies were pretty menacing at the start of the service. The whole time I was praying that it wouldn't rain so that we could make our procession to the memorial garden. That is such a symbolic and meaningful part of the service. Toward the end of our time in church is when we read off the babies names and light the candles. As I begun to read the names, a ray of sunshine broke through and streamed right across the alter where the candles were set. The sunshine continued to peak through the clouds during the memorial planting at the garden and then, I swear...just as I said "amen" after the final prayer, it started to rain..."tears from heaven" as one mother attending said. Very moving!
THE RITE OF THE SERVICE
(Instrumental music before the service)
Welcome Mary TanziWelcome and thank you all for coming. This memorial service is in memory of all our precious babies.
Although the circumstances of our losses are greatly varied, we share the common need to keep remembering our babies and the love for them which lives on in our hearts. Unlike the loss of an older child or an adult, we are not left with an abundance of pictures and mementos to help us remember, nor are there many people who truly share or understand the depth of our love for our child. In many cases, our babies were known only to us, in the hopes and the dreams we had for them as they existed in their mother's womb, or the precious but little time we spent with them after their birth. Our memories of them had their beginnings in our hearts, and will continue to live on there as a very important part of us. It is this love, those memories, that we seek to recognize here today.
Let us take this opportunity today to remember our babies. Feel free to cry, for our pain is real and our loss unmeasureable. Feel free also, to be happy for the short time we shared with our babies and the ways in which they have changed us forever.
Opening Prayer Mary Tanzi
Please join me in reading the opening prayer which can be found in your bulletin.
Serenity Prayer
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things
I cannot change
Courage to change the things I can
and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardship as the pathway to peace.
Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is,
Not as I would have it.
Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life,
and supremely happy with Him forever in the next.
The opening song is Prayer of St. Francis which is song #476 in the hymnal.
Opening Song (Sing together) Prayer of St. Francis #476
First Reading Psalm 46: 1-4 Dawn Matheson
God is our refuge and our strength, an ever-present help in distress.
Therefore we fear not, though the earth be shaken and mountains plunge into the depths of the sea;
Though its waters rage and foam and the mountains quake at its surging. The Lord of hosts is with us; our stronghold is the God of Jacob.
Psalm Response Mary Tanzi Leader: God hear my cry for help, listen to my prayer. From the end of the earth I call to You with heavy
heart.
All: Rest in God alone, my soul, the source of my hope!
Leader: In God alone there is rest for my soul, from God comes my safety; God alone is my rock, my
safety, my fortress, I will not fall.
All: Rest in God alone my soul, the source of my hope!
Leader: In You, God, I find shelter. Dear people, rely on God at all times, unburden your hearts to the
Lord, God is a shelter for us.
All: Rest in God alone, my soul, the source of my hope!
All: God not only hears us, but listens to our prayer. Blessed be God, who neither ignores our
prayer nor deprives us of deserving love.
Second Reading Matthew 11: 25-30 Dawn Matheson
On one occasion Jesus spoke thus: "Father, Lord of heaven and earth, to you I offer praise; for what you have hidden from the learned and the clever you have revealed to the merest children. Father, it is true. You have graciously willed it so. Everything has been given over to me by my Father. No one knows the Son but the Father, and no one knows the Father but the Son-and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him. "Come to me, all you who are weary and find life burdensome, and I will refresh you. Take my yoke upon your shoulders and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart. Your souls will find rest, for my yoke is easy and my burden light.
Special Music The Hand of God Will Hold You Kristin Steel
Reflection Joan Bartman
Lighting of Candles and Naming of Children Mary Tanzi and Cindy Nelson
(instrumental music during)
The light of a flame has always been symbolic to the human world: The eternal flame stands for the remembrance of those gone before; the light of a candle has come to represent rebirth and renewal. These two meanings are incorporated in the lighting of these candles. Let this light signify the ever-present love and memory of our children that will always live on in our hearts. At the same time, let it symbolize the renewal we must seek as we continue life without our beloved children and strive to walk on with others. When the name of your child is read, please come up to receive a candle. (Mary will read names from the program insert and Cindy will light the candles and present to families. One candle per family. If no family member is present to accept candle just light it and leave it on the table.)
(Intercessions Mary Tanzi)
Response: Lord, continue to be with us
Leader: For the times of unending tears, pain, and struggle; times of not being understood by family, friends, times of longing and emptiness, times of not being in control, times of searching
within and without. We pray...
Response
Leader: For all the memories of our babies; for any brief moment of being with our babies, for those who
walked the journey of mourning with us, for each time of remembering. We pray...
Response
Leader: For the times of letting go, for the times of reaching out, for each new day and each ray of hope,
for the gifts our babies left us: in giving us new eyes with which to see, new ears to help us
hear others, a new heart to love more deeply, and for new values in our lives. We pray...
Response.
We will now process to the Memorial Garden.
(Instrumental music as we process out.)
Procession to the Memorial Garden & the Memorial Planting Mary Tanzi
We come together today for a living memorial to all the babies whose precious lives ended too soon, babies whose lives have brought love and joy, grief and pain, babies whose death brought shattered dreams and later new hope and joy, babies who have taught us to love and to live again. Their lives have changed each of us here, and many, many other people. Their greatest gift was their life, just being-their presence and their love. They have touched all who have been part of their lives, and those they touched can never be the same again.
For many whose babies were born early in the pregnancy there is no gravesite to visit, no grave to decorate, no headstone to memorialize their precious baby. This garden will continue to grow and become a special place for us to come and remember each special baby. Remembering is an important part of relating with the baby and we want others to remember also. Our planting of a perennial in the memorial garden today is another way of recognizing God's love for each baby, and our continuing love-a love that never ends.
(Planting of the perennial) Cindy Nelson
Closing Prayer Mary Tanzi
God of creation, be present here as we gather to remember our babies. Place your blessing upon this perennial that we are planting today. May it be embraced by Mother Earth, fed by gentle rain and kissed warmly by the sun. May we come to know more fully, in visiting this garden , that nothing dies, rather life is transformed into new life. May your peace and blessings come upon the families that have gathered here. Fill their sorrow with joy; their emptiness with the fullness of faith. Be with them to offer them the comfort of your presence. May the remembrance of this day bring joy to their lives, for their children, destined for eternal joy, are now with God for all eternity. Amen
We invite all families to please take a gift from the table just outside of the chapel door. Please join us now for a reception in the Gathering Area.
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