Mass in Ecuador to be offered for babies lost in miscarriage or as newborns

By Eduardo Berdejo

ACI Prensa Staff, Oct 28, 2022 / 17:00 pm

On Nov. 1, the feast of All Saints, the Archdiocese of Guayaquil will offer a Mass for children lost in miscarriage or as newborns. The Ecuadorian archdiocese announced that those who will attend will be able to preregister online “their intentions for the soul of their baby.” The registration link also includes intentions for the health of a baby in utero. 

The Mass will be at 11 a.m. in the Metropolitan Pantheon in coordination with the Guayaquil Benevolent Board. Concelebrating will be auxiliary bishops of Guayaquil Gerardo Nieves and Gustavo Rosales as well as the bishop emeritus of Daule, Giovanni Battista Piccioli.

A note sent to ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language sister news agency, stated that as part of the celebration, the remains of children who recently died “for various reasons in the prenatal and neonatal stages will also be buried, giving their families the place for the mourning, recollection, and consolation they need,” honoring the “human dignity of the little one.”

On this occasion “the grotto of the Virgin of the unborn and to be born will be dedicated, donated by Guayaquil artists Jorge Velarde and Paola Cesa.” The grotto is located “next to the mausoleum donated by the Metropolitan Pantheon of the Benevolence Board for the burial of the unborn.”

The Mass for unborn children has been held since 2019 thanks to the Yes to Life Movement, which has made it possible during these years to “honor the memory and give a dignified burial to more than 100 deceased unborn and newborn children in the Metropolitan Pantheon of the Benevolence Board.”

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Eduardo Berdejo has a Journalism degree from the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos (Peru). He has been a member of the ACI Prensa team since 2001. He has covered Pope Francis' visits to Cuba, Mexico, Colombia, and Peru. He also holds a diploma in Comparative Literature from the University of Piura (Peru) and has completed the Comprehensive Course on Style Correction at the Lima Publishing School (Peru).