New volunteer-driven ministry offers support, resources
BY DANNY MAY, SPECIAL TO THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC
The pain of suffering a miscarriage is difficult to navigate, especially if you don’t have someone to talk with who has been through the experience before. Now, thanks to a caring group of volunteers, the Diocese of Owensboro has resources to offer those who are experiencing a miscarriage.
This new miscarriage ministry came about when a group of concerned moms who have all gone through miscarriages themselves contacted the Office of Marriage and Family Life with the idea to develop an informative brochure that would be distributed to all parishes in the Diocese. That same information is now available on the Marriage and Family Life webpage.
The brochure and webpage includes a concise overview of Church teaching on the subject, prayer suggestions, scripture references, and resources to help those dealing with loss.
Stephanie Carrico turned to friends with similar experiences to get the process started.
“Miscarriage is something people used to not talk about, but the lives of these babies deserve recognition,” she said. “It’s devastating to lose a child and parents need support.”
Carrico says she felt much support from Natural Family Planning instructors and friends but realizes not all families have that network of support: “Creating a brochure for families with the knowledge we’ve gained from these experiences can help all those in our diocese to know what to do physically and spiritually during a miscarriage,” she said.
Rachael Clark, who suffered a miscarriage in her first trimester, says she feels an “unspoken connection to other mothers who have experienced one as well. I was honored to be a part of creating this brochure because it is a way I could wrap my arms around a grieving or scared mother and walk with her through such a difficult process. Even though I can’t physically help these moms, spiritually I feel this brochure is a way to remind women they aren’t alone and their baby’s lives, no matter how short, matter. They were created by God for a purpose.”
Erin Jones was also glad to offer her input to hopefully help others: “After having to give your baby back to God after you’ve wanted this baby SO MUCH and loved this baby with all your heart, it’s natural to feel some resentment and probably anger towards God. But thankfully, God loves us through it. I learned through firsthand experience that God draws the broken-hearted closest to Him.”
In addition to the brochure and webpage, if someone suffering a miscarriage needs a listening ear and some accompaniment, they can contact the Office of Marriage and Family Life to be put in touch with this group of ladies who will be glad to offer support, understanding, compassion, and prayer.
According to Rachael Clark, “One of the hardest parts of miscarriage is that many times the parents are never able to hold their child. But this ministry reminds us that it is God who embraces both them and their unborn baby.”
(Editor’s note: The Office of Worship also has developed a resource designed for parents to help plan a memorial for their child who died before birth.)
Danny May is the director for the Office of Marriage and Family Life for the Diocese of Owensboro. Contact him at danny.may@pastoral.org.
Copyright © 2018 Diocese of Owensboro/The Western Kentucky Catholic