Miracle of Life Rosary Garden

About

A Sacred Burial Place

The Miracle of Life Rosary Garden is a remarkable arboretum of beauty, filled with flowers of all colors and endowed with statues that bear the likenesses of our Catholic faith’s greatest figures and Saints. The Rosary Garden sits atop a hill, overlooking the picturesque landscape of Pine Bluff. The senses are suffused with the visceral reality of just how beautiful God’s creation can be. The most essentially beautiful and engaging part of the Rosary Garden, however, may be far less evident to our natural senses than our spiritual ones. It is the grassy bower in the center, the space set aside especially for the burial of babies that have died before birth – a quintessential testimony to immortality of the human soul and the inestimable value of each person. The unborn Saints that rest here, an extension of the St. Mary of Pine Bluff Cemetery, are the raison d’être of the Rosary Garden’s existence; it is their presence that makes this place a testament to the true Miracle of Life. The words “Miracle of Life” constitute a phrase with profound meaning. It is a recognition of the fact that all human life, from conception to natural death, is a miracle and, therefore, sacred. Because of this we know that every human being, born or unborn, has an unmistakable dignity that comes from the Creator and is lovingly fashioned in His own image. In every way, the respect and honor that is due our deceased brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, transcends the confines of their physical existence: Life inside the womb has the same value as that which exists outside it. Any loss of life, especially before birth, can result in an incredibly painful and confusing time for the families that experience it. For these families and the babies they have lost, intercessory prayers have been and will continue to be given up to heaven at the Miracle of Life Rosary Garden. The Rosary Garden, however, is not only a place of grieving, but also a place of profound hope and joy. We have the strong hope that all babies who lose their lives before birth are immediately welcomed into the Father’s Heavenly Kingdom1 and become powerful intercessors for both their immediate families and their larger family, witnessed by the members of the Body of Christ. The name Miracle of Life Rosary Garden has a two-fold significance: It recognizes human life as sacred and boldly proclaims our belief in miracles, given by God’s perfect and providential plan for humanity.  It contrasts the emptiness of earth-bound materialism, replete with a notion of the soaring dignity of man and the preeminence of human intelligence. The Miracle of Life Rosary Garden offers a remarkable and lasting alternative. For more information regarding the burial space for babies who died before birth, please contact Father Rick Heilman at St. Mary of Pine Bluff. This can be done by email at rheilman@yahoo.com or by phone at (608) 798-4644.

NOTES:

  1. The International Theological Commission of the Vatican, The Hope of Salvation for Infants Who Die Without Being Baptized, para. 102