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‘Footprints’ Mass to remember lives lost in infancy and pregnancy included as part of Respect Life Month in Diocese of Wilmington

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Mary Ann Wallen, director of Office for Marriage and Family Life for the Diocese of Wilmington, at the annual Footprints Mass for Respect Life Month at St. John the Beloved Church on Oct. 20.
 

Throughout the United States, Oct. 15 has been designated as “Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day.”

It is a day when grieving parents come together and are surrounded by family and friends’ loving support to remember their little one, a time when parish communities can pray for the families and the child lost, said Mary Ann Wallen, director of Office for Marriage and Family Life for the Diocese of Wilmington.

The Office for Marriage and Family Life and Footprints, the diocesan miscarriage ministry, sponsors an annual Mass of Remembrance and Healing for Pregnancy and Infant Loss called the Footprints Mass.

Special invitations are extended to parents, grandparents and siblings who grieve the death of children as a result of miscarriage, stillbirth, abortion or early infant death. These losses may be recent or extend over many years.

The Diocesan Footprints Ministry was started in 2021 and is a ministry of the Diocesan Office for Marriage and Family Life. Its focus is to aid families with support and compassion through guidance, prayer, and other educational resources, remembering all those lost throughout the diocese. The annual Footprints Mass was Oct. 20 at St. John the Beloved Church.

Father Michael Vannicola, pastor at St. John the Beloved, presided at the Mass that included the children’s choir guided by Lisa Papili Carlsen, director of liturgy and music.

Delaware Right to Life offered roses to all “in memory of their loved ones” and to remember Respect Life Month