Franciscan Health Olympia Fields will hold a Little Angels Memorial Service for the young lives lost to miscarriage, stillbirth, ectopic pregnancy or newborn death on Wednesday, June 8, at 2 p.m., at Assumption Catholic Cemetery in Glenwood.
When a family experiences a miscarriage or infant death, Franciscan Health buries those remains at Assumption Catholic Cemetery as part of the hospital’s Franciscan Values, one of which is “Respect for Life.”
The final resting place for these tiny lives is a special area, which includes a memorial marker and meditation bench, within the Infants and Children section of Assumption Catholic Cemetery, located at 19500 S. Cottage Grove Ave., in Glenwood.
“This memorial gives the families of these babies a place to go to remember their little ones,” said Sister M. Ruth Luthman, OSF, MSN, Vice President for Mission Integration at Franciscan Health Olympia Fields. “It also serves as a reminder that every life is precious, no matter how tiny.”
Franciscan Health holds the Little Angels Memorial Service twice each year. The next memorial service will be in October during Respect for Life month. The Little Angels Memorial Service is now open to the public for the first time in two years after having limited participation because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We encourage everyone to join us for this graveside memorial service and help all bring closure and comfort for the parents and families of these lost children,” Luthman said.