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| Bishop Donald J. Hying of Madison, assisted by Fr. Greg Ihm, blesses the memorial statue to the unborn and columbarium at Resurrection Cemetery in Madison on November 2, All Souls Day. (Catholic Herald photo/Angela Curio) |
MADISON — On a warm fall day, on the Feast of All Souls, dozens of people gathered together with Bishop Donald J. Hying of Madison before a new statue and columbarium now adorning the grounds of Resurrection Cemetery.
“We are gathered to ask God’s blessings as we dedicate this statue and columbarium to the glory of God,” Bishop Hying said, leading those gathered and those watching online in prayer.
The statue, entitled Memorial to the Unborn Child II, depicts a translucent child approaching her grieving mother and father — made of stone — atop a cross-shaped platform. It was crafted by Slovakian sculptor Martin Hudácek and donated by anonymous donors who first presented the idea to Mary Mead, coordinator for Project Rachel and Rachel’s Vineyard for the Diocese of Madison, in 2017.
It now sits near Speedway Rd.
Bishop Hying described the statue as speaking “of the love of family, of the love of a child, and the promise of eternal life.”
Blessing ceremony
The ceremony lasted about 15 minutes and began with a short prayer followed by a reading from the Gospel of Mark, chapter 10.
“People were bringing children to him so that he might touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he became indignant and said to them, ‘Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these,'” began the reading.
In his commentary on the statue, Bishop Hying reminded those gathered that “as Christians, we know for us death is not the end but rather the transformation of life into the fullness of the Kingdom of God. On this All Souls Day, in its own way is a fullness of sharing the victory of Easter Sunday.”
He added, “In a special way, we pray for our lost children, whether that is through crib death or miscarriage, abortion . . . all the ways that children are sadly and tragically lost at the beginning of their lives.
“This statue points us in the direction of the absolute dignity of every one of those lives, that those lives matter to God, and they matter to us, that they are not forgotten. They are not lost.”
He spoke also about All Souls Day, stating that “praying for the dead is the most loving thing that we can possibly do. When we pray for the dead, they are loved, they are remembered, and they are lifted up to God.”
He also spoke of the power of the Mass and its connection to “the mystery of the Communion of Saints.”
He then led the people in another prayer before incensing the columbarium and statue and blessing them and those gathered with holy water.
When the ceremony was over, Damian Lenshek, director of cemeteries for the Diocese of Madison, spoke a few words thanking those who had come and been a part of the project. He mentioned that he had already noticed people along Speedway Rd. slowing down before the statue, and “this morning, I came here, and there were flowers on the statue. Already, it is touching hearts, and we pray it is converting hearts and bringing people closer to God.”
All Souls Day Mass
After the blessing, much of the same small group gathered at the cemetery chapel for the All Souls Day Mass. Due to the coronavirus, chairs were spaced out and some were seated outside of the chapel.
The solemn mood of the service was emphasized by some of the safety protocols for dealing with the coronavirus. Music was conducted via a single voice and a piano as those participating in the Mass remained quiet.
Bishop Hying said how the dimness of the chapel lighting reminded him of the Easter Vigil and how appropriate that was.
In his homily, the bishop spoke of “the triumph of Christ over the power of sin and death” and of the “sadness to All Souls Day in comparison to All Saints.”
“Today, we pray for those who are being purified. It reminds us of the longing that we have for the fullness of the life with God. And the sadness of Purgatory is a sense of wanting that fullness of vision that is not yet fully realized,” he stated.
“I know that there are many Catholics today that have issues with Purgatory,” he continued. “And I don’t understand why, because I think Purgatory is a tremendous act of God’s mercy. Because Purgatory reminds us that even when we die, God is not yet finished with us. That he is still perfecting us, shaping us, purifying us, preparing us for the heavenly wedding feast.”
He spoke of how God is ever working on us like “an artist carving a masterpiece.”
“Think of Michelangelo carving the Pietà,” he said. “He would say that when he saw a block of marble, he had a vision to see this beautiful image within that marble, and all he had to do was take away what was extraneous to let that image come to life.”
Bishop Hying continued that the process of purification as taking away from us “what is extraneous. To take away from us everything that is not Him, every vestige of sin and death.
“So, what remains is who we were called to be from the beginning. What remains is the saint that God dreamed us to be forever.”
He then spoke on the affectatious power of praying for the dead. “In prayer, we ask the Lord to apply his mercy to those most in need of it . . . And we remember this life is just a blink of an eye in the light of eternity. That should give us an urgency to the point of conversion.”
He concluded his homily with, “So tonight in the mystery of the Eucharist, we pray for the dead. And we pray for ourselves that we may live this life with our eyes fixed on eternity, on the promise of eternal life that has been given to us through the mystery of Jesus’ death and resurrection.
“The dead are not forgotten. They are not unloved. They are not lost. They are bound to Christ. And through the power of our prayer, we are joined to them even now, and for that, we give thanks and praise.”
To view video of the ceremony and Mass, go to Diocese of Madison Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/madisondiocese
Memorial bricks available
The Memorial to the Unborn Child II statue at Resurrection Cemetery in Madison will be a healing destination for those suffering from grief and loss, and will spark conversations about the often-unspoken sorrow of losing a child.
Memorial bricks to be placed next to the statue are available as well as sponsoring a memorial bench near the statue
For more information, go to https://madisondiocese.org/statue or call 608-238-5561.