They Are Children
In harsh clinical terms, hospitals will call them products of conception. At the Catholic Cemeteries, we prefer babies. Rather than disposal, we offer burial. They are children who do not come to full-term development in the womb.
Within our Catholic Christian faith tradition, we believe that God’s eternal love offsets the children’s lack of earthly viability. In God’s sight, a human person is loved and cherished for being, not for doing; for simply existing, not for the number of days alive. Shortness of life and weakness of body mean nothing to our God who transcends these limitations. So, we look upon the babies, in their smallness and vulnerability, like any child of God—long-lived or not. For at some point all of us will die, our viability will cease.
Cooperative Burials
Any pre-born baby who dies before 20 weeks gestation and/or weighs less than 350 grams (about 12 ounces) can receive reverent interment at Holy Cross Cemetery or Pinelawn Memorial Park through the cooperation of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee Catholic Cemeteries and the three Wheaton Franciscan hospitals of the Milwaukee area [Elmbrook, St. Francis and St. Joseph] and St. Mary's Hospital in Milwaukee.
Schedule of Burials
These burials are scheduled for these Thursdays at 12 Noon
at Holy Cross Cemetery: 2007: January 11, February 22, April 5, May 17, June 28, August 9, September 20, November 1 and December 13, 2007
Larger and older infants have private, individual burials arranged by family. Families can always make private burial arrangements for their child, no matter what size or age.
Choices
So, how does it work?
Before the mother is discharged from the hospital, each family is asked to make two choices: individual burial or common burial AND
Christian burial at Holy Cross or non-sectarian burial at Pinelawn Memorial Park in a common grave.
Every six weeks or so, after communication with the five histology labs, Holy Cross Cemetery personnel travel to the hospitals, bring the babies to Holy Cross and place them in a common burial vault for their Christian burial. The number each time varies, but usually falls between 20 and 40. Each child is recorded individually in our burial records by the exact burial location. Thus, anyone can locate a little one and visit that specific burial place.
(Our personnel also bring the children to Pinelawn for the families who have chosen burial there.)
The Archdiocese of Milwaukee Catholic Cemeteries provides the grave space, concrete vault and labor to perform the burial. The Outreach and Support Coordinator at Holy Cross ( 414 438 4420 x128) coordinates the process involving many people at the participating hospitals and cemeteries.
Families interested in being present are notified of the date and time of the burial so they can attend.
On the day of the burial, the Catholic Cemeteries’ Spiritual Director, Father Marvin I. Lazarski, prays the Rite of Committal from the Roman Catholic Order of Christian Funerals at the graveside within the Infant Memorial Garden (Holy Cross—Block 17, Section F) in the presence of families, friends and cemetery staff. The burial vault containing the mortal remains of the children is already placed in the grave closed.
Compassionate and Comforting
This is one way the Cemeteries of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee serve the entire Christian community of the Milwaukee area with charitable burial assistance at a very difficult time.
