‍

People across the Church will mark “Day for Life” on Sunday by reflecting on the value and innate dignity of every human life from conception to natural death. This year’s focus “The Wonder of the Child in the Womb” acknowledges the vocation of parenthood, and the particular grief experienced by mothers and fathers who have lost a child before birth or in infancy. Writing in a joint message for the day, the bishops of England, Wales, Ireland, and Scotland said:

‍

“We remember with gratitude the loving care and direction our parents gave to us, whether they are still with us or have gone to the Lord. Parenthood is a vocation of joys and hopes, of griefs and anxieties. On this year’s Day for Life, we acknowledge the particular grief of mothers and fathers who have lost a child before birth or in infancy.

“Mother’s Day and Father’s Day can be especially difficult for parents who experience the loss of an infant. Such loss often takes its bodily toll upon the mother, and it can leave fathers feeling helpless and unsure of how to support their family, or of how to express their own grief.

“The Church wants to be especially close to parents who have suffered the loss of an infant. We try to offer spiritual support through the pastoral care and blessing of our priests, and through the comfort of our liturgy. You only have to reach out to your priest or deacon if you would like to know more about this.

“Just as importantly, many parents find consolation in their faith and its assurance that every child, including those who lose their life before they are born or soon after, is created, willed and deeply loved by God for all eternity. We have the Lord’s promise from the Scriptures that: ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born, I consecrated you’ (Jer 1:5).”

‍

Speaking on Tuesday, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State for the Holy See, highlighted that Pope Leo “prays that all parents grieving the loss of a child may find comfort and peace in the knowledge of God’s love for them and for their child.” The Holy Father also expressed the hope that those carrying the burden of such grief may encounter support within the Christian community.

‍

Resources for Day for Life are available from the CBCEW.