‘Life Is Changed, Not Ended’: Families Remember Children at Mount Olivet
At the annual Children’s Mass, families grieving babies and children gathered to speak their names, pray together and hold fast to the Catholic hope that death does not have the final word.
By Erin Scherer
“This place will be the epicenter of the resurrection!” Father Adam Bradshaw shared during the annual Children’s Mass, celebrated October 3 at Mount Olivet Catholic Cemetery in Wheat Ridge.
Each year, the Mass offers families an opportunity to remember and honor children who have gone before us while gathering in faith, hope, prayer and community with others who have experienced the loss of a child. In a place often associated with grief and death, the annual Mass instead reminds families of the promise of resurrection and encourages them to remain steadfast in faith and hope. In this way, Mount Olivet Catholic Cemetery is helping families fill the void of loss with faith.
“Life is changed, not ended,” explained Father Bradshaw, encouraging all present to maintain the hope that we will one day see our loved ones again.
For families grieving a child, that hope does not erase the pain of separation. But, Father Bradshaw reminded those gathered, death is not the end of the story. It does not sever the bonds of love or the communion that Christians share with those who have gone before them.
And, until we see them again, he encouraged families to maintain communication with their little ones via prayer.
Even though we cannot see them, “we walk by faith and not by sight,” he shared.
The good news, Father Bradshaw continued, is that “prayer isn’t bound by space or time, so it keeps us connected to our loved ones who have gone before us.”
He also invited the congregation to bring their suffering to Christ and ask Mary to remain close to them and their loved ones.
For the staff who have accompanied some of these families through the loss of their children, the annual Mass also provides an opportunity to reflect.
“It was a joyful occasion to see families we have worked with before and to be able to honor the life of their babies,” shared Paulette Kaufman, mission and family care manager.
During the Mass, each baby’s name was read aloud. Families also received prayer cards, angel pins and a flower in remembrance of their children.
For some families, Mount Olivet’s accompaniment begins through its Precious Lives program, which provides community funeral and burial services at no cost for babies who died during pregnancy or at birth. Through the ministry, families experiencing the profound grief of losing a child are able to give their babies a dignified burial and lay them to rest in sacred ground.
The annual Children’s Mass carries that accompaniment forward, inviting families to return, remember their children and pray together — while holding fast to the hope Father Bradshaw proclaimed in the very place where so many loved ones have been laid to rest.
For more information about Mount Olivet Catholic Cemetery or the Precious Lives program, visit cfcscolorado.org.
