New cemetery offers a special resting place for ‘little souls’

Father John Meyer, pastor of St. Mary Parish in Greensburg, blesses a statue at the Little Souls Cemetery dedication Mass on Sept. 27. Also pictured is Deacon Brad Anderson. second from left, and altar servers Clare and Cecilia Scheidler (partially obscured). The Little Souls Cemetery is part of St. Mary Cemetery in Greensburg. (Submitted photo by Jennifer Lindberg)

By Jennifer Lindberg

GREENSBURG—The loss of a child through miscarriage is often a silent suffering, but St. Mary Parish in Greensburg is helping women and families voice their pain in the hope of healing.

A special resting place for miscarried babies, Little Souls Cemetery—part of St. Mary’s existing cemetery—is allowing women the closure they need after suffering a miscarriage. It started three years ago and has grown into a ministry that provides resources and the option of women speaking to other women who have suffered a miscarriage to find understanding and help.

The ministry represents the beauty of a beloved baby’s life that was lost with a way to heal that loss “through the compassion of Christ,” said Father John Meyer, pastor of St. Mary Parish, during a special funeral Mass for miscarried babies and the official cemetery dedication on Sept. 27.

“In the midst of mourning the loss of miscarried children, our mourning shows these lives here today are not forgotten,” Father Meyer said.

The outpouring of support from the community and parish to raise the funds for the Little Souls Cemetery gives witness to the mission of the Catholic faith to take the Gospel out to the world, Father Meyer said.

A statue of Christ holding an infant, made by Indianapolis artist Michael McCarthy, sits on a bench around the burial plaques for the babies. The cemetery is a place of support for many women suffering through pain that is often misunderstood and often accompanied by suggestions that do not help this unique grieving process, said Rebecca Harpring, who started the ministry with her husband Chris.

“One mother stated that she had been struggling with the grief of her many miscarriages,” said Harping, who along with her husband are members of

St. Mary Parish. “She was given all kinds of suggestions … but she stated that none of those things spoke to her, but being at the Little Souls Cemetery did.”

Another mother thought the cemetery was a good idea, but she didn’t realize how comforting it could be until she had her own miscarriage, Harpring said.

“It has brought comfort to women to know someone cares about their baby,” Harpring said. “It has brought closure because they now have a place to acknowledge their baby or even bury their baby.”

The solemn ritual of the funeral liturgy for Catholics helps them remember that life doesn’t end with death but begins anew. During a funeral Mass that was part of the cemetery’s dedication, any woman who had a miscarriage and wanted their baby’s name read aloud was given special notice during the Prayers of the Faithful. Almost 30 babies were remembered.

The recognition of the baby’s name, even just the last name, gave an intimacy to the ceremony, illustrating how God calls everyone by name. It brought about the dignity of each little child’s life, regardless of how long it was lived.

This acknowledgement is important to a woman, said Harpring, who has lost two babies to miscarriage and has counseled numerous women through the grieving process. She wanted to use her own grief to show that good comes out of suffering.

“When the pregnancy test comes back positive, that mother is already bonding with her baby, nurturing her baby, and dreaming about what her baby will grow up to be and do,” Harpring said. “Then, that is suddenly taken away from her, along with all those hopes and dreams.”

The ministry is just beginning, as two more monuments for the cemetery will be installed with the hope and prayer that more women will be helped.

A website, www.covenantresources.org, has been established to provide information on how to bury a baby after miscarriage, counseling resources and how to start a miscarriage ministry.

Harpring is also willing to share the blueprints for the cemetery and any other information. Call the St. Mary Parish office at 812-663-8427.
 

(Jennifer Lindberg is a freelance writer and a member of St. Mary Parish in North Vernon.) †