Memorial Suggestions for Reproductive Loss

There are many ways for faith leaders to help a family memorialize their reproductive loss. These memorial practices can transform isolating loss into stories of grace, community, and shared sorrow.

Here are a few suggestions:

• Offer a memorial service for the family that was impacted by a pregnancy loss.
• Offer an annual memorial service for your whole congregation to memorialize any pregnancy loss. A good time to hold these services is in October for Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, or specifically around October 15th which is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day.
• Provide funeral service options – private or public.
• Offer burial options – private or formal interment.
• Create a beautiful, tranquil area of remembrance.
• Plant a tree or a memorial garden.
• Display a memorial statue, or create a special place to honor the child on your grounds.
• Send sympathy cards to the family.
• Provide a memorial remembrance item, such as a candle, medal, or stone.