A Haddonfield parish’s new ministry is designed to honor those who have departed life all too soon and aid in the grieving process of loved ones.
The Remembering the Innocent ministry of Christ the King Parish will sponsor a Mass of Remembrance April 26 at 7 p.m. for those who have suffered the loss of a child in utero, infancy or early childhood. Father Jon Thomas, pastor, will serve as principal celebrant of the Mass; all members of family and friends affected by this loss, regardless of parish affiliation, are welcome to attend. Fellowship and refreshments will follow the Mass.
LuAnn Sacchetti, who mourned her daughter-in-law’s miscarriage at 10 weeks in 2020, freely admitted she had difficulty during the aftermath.
“People were saying, ‘Oh, they could always have another baby,’ and other things,” Sacchetti said, “but you go through a grieving process. I would be in the mall and see a child who
was the same age as my grandchild would have been.”
Sacchetti saw an opportunity for the parish to nurture others in a similar position and wrote a proposal for the new ministry. Father Thomas approved the idea, and Sacchetti, her husband, Charlie, and Dolores Mozzillo, the parish’s director of religious education, united to create the ministry.
“The pain of losing an unborn [child] never leaves you,” said Mozzillo, who serves as the ministry’s staff liaison. “Our goal is to heal those grieving this loss, one nobody really talks about. This is a loss people tend to keep to themselves, but the Church offers healing.”
The ministry’s Mass of Remembrance will be celebrated near the feast day of Saint Gianna Beretta Molla, patron saint of mothers, physicians and unborn children. A box designed to collect prayer intentions will be set up at the foot of the parish’s altar beginning the weekend of March 18-19; the box will be carried during the presentation of the gifts at the April 26 Mass, as will donated baby items intended for Jersey Shore Women’s Center, Galloway.
Father Thomas reflected, “I recognize that ministries like these really speak to people’s needs and that there’s probably many more bereaving parents in my parish than I realize. I expect the Mass will be a meaningful experience of Christ’s healing power for many.”
Mozzillo said attendees at the Mass may choose either to remain anonymous, sign a guest book with email addresses, write a tribute to their loved one or partake of various resources available at the post-Mass fellowship.
“We will always be sensitive to the community, not showcase it, for we want them to feel that we remember them and their courage to show up,” Mozzillo said. “Miscarriages are a part of the family’s life and need not be forgotten.”
For more information on the Remembering the Innocent ministry, contact Dolores Mozzillo in the parish’s religious education office at 856-429-1600 x 108, or religioused@ctkhaddonfield.org. R.S.V.P. is appreciated, but not required. Christ the King Church is located at 200 Windsor Ave., Haddonfield.
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