October is a time to remember children who died before birth, with 15 October marked by Masses, prayers, and meetings for bereaved parents to break social taboos and offer support.
History and significance
Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day was established by the United States Congress following an initiative by Robyn Bear and Lisa Brown. The date—15 October—marks the 288th day of the year, symbolically corresponding to the end of a full-term pregnancy when counted from 1 January. Over time, the initiative reached Poland as well, where the day has become an occasion for reflection, prayer, and support for parents who have lost a child.
Remembrance and support for parents
For many parents, this day recognizes their parenthood and restores a rightful place in memory for children who have died. Masses, prayers at graves, and the 7:00 p.m. lighting of candles are gestures of remembrance and support.
Memorial projects for lost children
The Polish Association of Human Life Defenders continues its project of building gravestones for children who died before birth and whose bodies were not collected by parents from hospitals. “By the end of last year, through our joint efforts, we managed to fund and erect granite gravestones on eight collective burial sites for stillborn children at the Batowice Municipal Cemetery in Kraków,” the organization reports. This year, the association plans to build 13 additional graves at the Podgórki Tynieckie Cemetery. Each gravestone is adorned with a heart bearing two tiny footprints and an epitaph: “They departed to live forever.”
On this year’s Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day, the association is launching the “Memory Star” campaign—a Christmas collection of holiday wreaths and candles for the collective graves of stillborn children at the Prądnik Czerwony and Podgórki Tynieckie cemeteries in Kraków. With donors’ support, the organization hopes to erect further memorials at the latter site.
Events across Poland
Masses and prayers recognizing bereaved parents take place in many parishes throughout Poland. In Bielsko-Biała, the program includes the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, Mass, and cemetery commemorations. In other communities, an ecumenical prayer service is held at urns with the ashes of lost children, followed by a procession to the cemetery and burial. In Białystok and Warsaw, Masses for bereaved parents are scheduled and are followed by Eucharistic adoration.
The Donum Vitae Foundation invites parents to join support groups and to participate in the „Parents for Parents” initiative on October 22 at 5:30 p.m. During this event, participants create „memory boxes” to honor their lost children.
Remembrance, solidarity, support
October reminds us that there is no single way to grieve the loss of a child. What matters is access to medical, therapeutic, and pastoral support—ensuring no one faces this difficult time alone. Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day is a time of remembrance, prayer, and solidarity for families and the wider community.
s. Amata J. Nowaszewska / Family News Service
Family News Service