'Testimony to Life'

In a moving ceremony where families held hands, smiled and shed tears, members of the community of St. George Church in Baton Rouge gathered July 15 to mark the realization of a dream come true. 

The searing early morning summer sunlight offered a light of hope for the groundbreaking of the Children of God Mausoleum, a place where parents and families are able to visit, grieve and remember a child lost in the womb or way too early in life. 

The mausoleum, designed in the form of a cross, will have 333 crypts and is expected to be completed in January. 

Parents will be able to lay their loved ones to rest with dignity and respect free of charge, according to organizers. The Gospel passage underlying the creation of the mausoleum is: “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these” (Mt 19:14).

St. George pastor Father Paul Yi, who blessed the site with holy water
and led the blessing prayers, noted how precious every soul is no matter their time on earth. He noted the mausoleum reflects God’s desire that every soul be recognized as sacred and treated with dignity.

“It’s God’s project,” said Father Yi.

Emily Froeba, who along with Monica Alley, the founder of Anna’s Grace, was instrumental in providing the spark of inspiration for the project, said the mausoleum will provide grieving parents consolation. Froeba and Alley have suffered miscarriages. 

“Today is a beautiful and bittersweet day full of thanksgiving for the work, prayer, support and donations of so many. More than two years ago the dream of this mausoleum started to become a reality and to see this day all we can do is give thanks to God for his perfect timing and providence. 

“As Catholics we believe in the dignity of life and we live out the corporal work of mercy to bury the dead. Therefore we must honor the life and death of these miscarried and stillborn children.”

 Froeba said she and her husband Jason’s deep conviction to the dignity of life in the womb, their experience of the struggles to provide a casket and burial plot for their children and the knowledge that many other families have experienced these same struggles motivated them to join with others to find a solution and bring hope.

“The Lord will see this good work through to completion,” said Froeba.

She expressed her appreciation to all those who have contributed toward the construction of the mausoleum: Father Yi and the staff of St. George,  Danielle Van Haute, Jason Froeba and Stewart Couvillion, “our casket building leaders (for babies).” 

“The lives of our children lost are a mystery,” said Froeba. “I often remember them in light of the mystery of the ascension. This glorious mystery may just have been overshadowed by sorrow for our Blessed Mother. She, like so many parents who hand their children to heaven, wait in expectant hope for the promise of God that they will see their children again. Entrusting them to the mercy of God. 

“That is what the mausoleum is – not a monument of death but a testimony to life. The lives of so many children loved and mourned by mothers, fathers and siblings – many gathered here today. God has been very close to the broken-hearted and working in ways unseen. I know without a doubt that our children buried here have been heavenly intercessors for the mausoleum. Each of them in their life and death contributed.”

“This is their work too,” she added, “and we as parents are so very proud to see this day. The kingdom of heaven certainly does belong to such (young children) as these. And they are building the kingdom here and above. We love you.”

Alley’s journey of walking with parents who have lost children prematurely or early in life began when she and her husband, Todd, lost their daughter, Anna, in 2013.

“We immediately knew we wanted to do something to help families in similar situations. Unless you’ve been in someone else’s shoes, you don’t know what they are going through,” said Alley, a member of St. Thomas More Church in Baton Rouge.

Anna’s Grace, which has since transitioned into Maddie’s Footprints, provided resources and supports for these families.

Through Anna’s Grace Alley was contacted by the Archdiocese of New Orleans pertaining to a family from Baton Rouge who had recently lost a baby. They were inquiring about a mausoleum in New Orleans that was already in place.

Upset in thinking that the family had to drive all the way to New Orleans to visit their baby, she wondered “why not here” for such a mausoleum. She contacted Froeba, who shared her vision and likewise believed the Catholic Church should be involved in building one specifically for babies/infants who suffered death in the womb or had an early death. Froeba contacted the Diocese of Baton Rouge and “got the ball rolling” in 2019. From there, St. George came on board.

Kristel Neupert, social responsibility coordinator for St. George and who played a large role in helping to make the project a reality, said the parish is honored to accompany families in their time of loss.

“As a community, we value life from the moment of conception to natural death,” she said.

“When families experience a miscarriage, or lose their child at birth, it’s a very emotional, hard time,” she said. “Having a free sacred burial space, can bring some comfort and support to these families.  We are blessed to be able to offer this ministry of love.”

Emotion welling up on her voice, Alley said of the ceremony signaling the fruition of the project, “I teared up. I see the handprints of Anna here.”

For information about the mausoleum, contact the St. George office at 225-293-2212.