Every year on Dec. 28 during the Christmas Octave, we pause from the joys and festivities of the season to remember and honor the first and youngest martyrs of the Church.
The Feast of the Holy Innocents celebrates the memory of the young children of Bethlehem who were put to death by Herod following the birth of Jesus. St. Matthew shares that these boys were only 2 years old or younger. (Matthew 2:16) They gave their lives in place of the newborn Infant Christ as Herod vengefully sought to protect his worldly power.
St. Augustine was touched by the story of these young martyrs and, in a homily delivered to his congregation, called them “infant martyr flowers.” He praised and glorified their lives, saying, “In full right do we celebrate the heavenly birthday of these children whom the world caused to be born unto an eternally blessed life rather than that from their mothers’ womb, for they attained the grace of everlasting life before the enjoyment of the present.”
As we lift up these young martyrs on their feast day, we also pray for and remember their mothers, fathers and family members who suffered such great pain in their loss. Matthew provides us a glimpse of their grief when he repeats Jeremiah’s prophecy: “A voice was heard in Ramah, sobbing and loud lamentation; Rachel weeping for her children, and she would not be consoled, since they were no more.” (Matthew 2:18)
We can use this feast day to invoke God’s blessing and comfort in a special way on those who have lost a child of any age and who face great sorrow because of it.
The Feast of the Holy Innocents was in mind when a section of Resurrection Cemetery, 9571 N. High St., Lewis Center, was developed nearly 10 years ago.
Blessed on April 12, 2014, by Father Homer Blubaugh, chaplain for Back in His Arms Again ministry, the Garden of the Holy Innocents provides a dignified and sacred resting place for infants who were miscarried or for full-term infants who were cremated. It is the current resting place for more than 3,500 babies.
Over the years, thousands of parents have chosen this consoling option to bury their babies. The Garden of the Holy Innocents is available to any parent free of charge. Cemetery staff will go to any hospital in Columbus to take the infant into their care, or parents may bring their baby to the cemetery if the miscarriage occurs at home.
While it is not possible to schedule a funeral service at the time of placement, families are welcome to return at a later date for a private prayer or memorial service. Families can purchase a permanent memorial for their baby for a minimal fee.
Catholic Cemeteries of Columbus is renovating the Garden of the Holy Innocents. The budget is $100,000 and will include a more durable statue of Our Lady with Child, a permanent memorial wall, new landscaping, benches and a path. Additionally, a fund will be created for upkeep and expansion.
A generous contribution will help to provide a lasting memorial for these children and a peaceful, prayerful space for their families to grieve and heal after their heartbreaking loss.
If you would like to help by making a donation to support the renovation of The Garden of the Holy Innocents, visit https://www.catholiccemeteriesofcolumbus.org/about-us/donations