In Memory Of Children Who Have Died Unborn
Shrine of Holy Innocents, taken by Rosemarie Beltz, December 10,2015
Michael Torrellas described himself as being a product of adultery and fornication. He was a bastard child and never knew his father. Instead of resent and anger, Torrellas is full of love for his mother and gratitude for the church.
“I am glad my father left us before I was born,” said Torrellas. He described his father as a drinker and cheater. Torrellas is thankful his mother decided to raise him in the Catholic faith and did not grow up to be a womanizer like his father.
27-Year-old Torrellas is one of the six sacristans at The Church of Holy Innocents. He patiently listens to a woman share her struggle in the vestibule then kindly assures her there is no difference between the $3 and $5 devotion candles. He encourages her to donate what is affordable because all prayers are worth the same amount in the eyes of God.
Torrellas has been working at the Roman Catholic Church for three years and says people of all backgrounds visit Holy Innocents for comfort and inspiration. The church was established in 1866 and is the oldest building in the Garment District. Yet, it is youthful in its enthusiasm for meeting the challenges of ever changing environment – new people, new technologies, and new ideas. The church enjoys a vibrant spiritual life and is considered a second home to thousands of workers and visitors who find comfort and support here.
Located near the entrance of The Church of The Holy Innocents, is a prayerful memorial to the children who have died unborn. Torrellas was only a child when his Eminence, John Cardinal O’Connor dedicated The Shrine of The Holy Innocents on the Feast of the Holy Innocents, December 28, 1993 but he is deeply connected to the shrine that remembers miscarried, stillborn and aborted babies.
“My mother made the choice to keep me because of her faith,” said Torrellas. According to Holy Innocents Pastor, Father Leonard Villa, women will accept the forgiveness that is readily available to them but have a difficult time forgiving themselves and feel a tremendous amount of shame. Some fathers feel helpless because they had no authority in the decision-making process and visit to memorialize their child out of guilt.
For many centuries there was the notion of limbo- a catholic belief that because these children have not been baptized and freed of original sin, the babies remain in a state of natural happiness but never enter heaven. More recently in his encyclical Evangelium Vitae, Saint Pope John Paul II, explained that the children, who have died unborn, are now “ living in the Lord” and are with God for all eternity.
Often, children who have died before birth have no grave or headstone and many times not even a name. When parents suffer the loss of an unborn baby, there is usually no burial or any way for them to honor and remember their child. Father Villa believes the memorial provides parents with a sense of connection to the child.
The mission of The Shrine of The Holy Innocents is to offer prayer, healing, forgiveness and hope to all who mourn the loss of a child who has died unborn. The Church of the Holy Innocents invites people to name the child(ren) and offers an opportunity for people to enter the name of the child(ren) into The Book of Life. The book is encased at the Shrine between statues of the Holy Family, beneath an Eternal Flame Candle. The candle is always lit in the children’s memory, signifying they are living souls that are never alone and in the presence of God.
The mourners, who visit The Shrine of The Holy Innocents, are women, men, young, old and come from various socioeconomic backgrounds. Their loss might have occurred that day or 50 years ago. They are the mother, father, grandparent, sibling, aunt or uncle of the child who has died. Parents dealing with a life-threatening medical diagnosis of their unborn child, who are facing a possible unfavorable outcome for the child, mother or both, visit the shrine in hopes of receiving divine guidance and forgiveness. Others are related only in friendship. It is their desire to name these children and have them remembered in a special way. Non- Catholic babies are also memorialized. Father Villa feels the religious denomination of the child is irrelevant.
“The shrine is based on emotion rather than truth,” said Torrellas. Even though the shrine is dedicated to the unborn, it has gradually been converted to an abortion shrine. We do not ask the child’s cause of death but people volunteer the information,” said Father Villa. After hearing confessions he surmises a large percentage of the women who visit the memorial are parents seeking comfort after an abortion.
“Every day, the shrine receives letters, phone calls, emails and visitors who have suffered the loss of an unborn baby,” said Father Villa. He has had the experience of assisting people worldwide. This past year a couple traveled from England to see a child’s name that had been inscribed into The Book of Life.
AbortionMemorials.com is a website dedicated to national gravesites and memorials for aborted children. The Church of The Holy Innocents is named as one of the memorial locations. Father Villa does not know anything about the site. He feels the church’s location; traditional practices and name are what draw attention to the parish.
The Church of The Holy Innocents is named after The Massacre of the Innocents, the biblical narrative of infanticide by the Roman-appointed King of the Jews, Herod the Great. According to the Gospel of Matthew, Herod ordered the execution of all young male children in the vicinity of Bethlehem, to avoid the loss of his throne to a newborn King of the Jews. Father Villa said the previous Pastor of Holy Innocents, Father Donald Sakano felt a special connection to children and created the shrine with the blessing of Archbishop John O’Connor.
Once the child’s name has been entered into The Book of Life, a certificate bearing the child’s name is sent to the person who has enrolled them, along with the information about The Shrine of the Holy Innocents. On the first Monday of every month, the 12:15pm Mass is celebrated in honor of these children and for the comfort of their families.
Shrine enrollment services are free-of-charge. Wearable Shrine medallion pins are available for a small donation and paid memorialization opportunities are available on the Rosary Wall in the church vestibule. Like most catholic shrines, The Shrine of the Holy Innocents is maintained mainly by parish donations. “There is a poor box on the wall and people can give what they want, “ added Father Villa.
The permanent Shrine memorializing over at-least ten thousand children has had a number of incarnations over the years. Torrellas pointed out the life-size portrait of Our Lady Of Guadalupe and red poinsettias dressing the Shrine for the Christmas Season.
People pay their respects on different occasions such as holidays, birthdays, and anniversaries. It is not uncommon to hear “ My child would have been this many years, “ commented Father Villa. The Roman Catholic Feast Days of the Immaculate Conception (December 8th) and Holy Innocence (December 28th), from which the church is named, are the holy days of obligation when Catholics pay specific tribute to the memorial.
December is traditionally a busy month. Torrellas exchanged pleasantries with a woman as she placed a bag of diapers in a box labeled “ Baby and Mother Items”. The large cardboard box sits in front of the memorial and is an on- going out- reach project sponsored by The Sisters of Life.
The Sisters of Life is a contemplative and active religious community of women founded in 1991 by Cardinal John O’Connor for the protection and enhancement of the sacredness of every human life. “ I perform mass at The Sisters of Life convent,” shared Father Villa. The Sisters offer post-abortion ministry for both men and women. They encourage those seeking peace to visit the memorial.
“Come in- come in, it’s a little chaotic today, tomorrow we are hosting a retreat for over 200 women, “ gasped Sister Agnus Dei. Sister Agnus is a 31- year- old nurse who has been serving The Sisters of Life for eight years. Her calm voice and welcoming presence are an easy distraction from the hustle and bustle of the pre-event preparation. Sister Agnus received her calling while working with sick infants in the ICU.
According to Sister Agnus, the women who find The Shrine of the Holy Innocents are full of regret and fear. Women of abortion no longer want to feel the way they do and some pregnant women are often confused. The Convent works with women at the core of their truth no matter how that truth may appear.
Father Villa and Sister Agnus both confirmed that not all of the women who find the memorial are alone or unwed. Most women at their core want to bear life but lack the support required. When women know they will be surrounded by love and a tribe they choose life and say it was the best decision they ever made.
The memorial is neither a pro-life exhibit nor gravesite. It is a place were the Catholic Church hopes people will find peace in knowing that their unborn child will be remembered and honored by all who pray at the Shrine.
The Church of the Holy Innocents is located at 128 West 37th Street in New York City. A priest is available in the rectory office for the sacrament of Penance.
(Picture of Original Shrine December 1993 , Courtesy of The Church of Holy Innocents)
Source List
Pastor Father Leonard Villa: The Church of Holy Innocents- Director@Innocent.com
(Note Father Villa’s name in subject line)
Sacristy Michael Torrellas: The Church of Holy Innocents- MrTorrellas@gmail.com
Sister Agnus Dei: The Sisters of Life- holyrespite@sistersoflife.org
(Note Sister Agnus Dei’s name in subject line); 212-397-1396