PITY II - Service of Burial of Unidentified Babies

WHY?

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Today's Date

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Service of Burial of Unidentified Babies

A Funeral Service for
babies who were briefly known
but are forever loved

jasmine
The Gathering

We meet together to entrust these babies to the eternal. We recognise the variety of faith traditions that may have supported the families from whom these babies come. We meet to lay to rest these babies in the eternal presence of the Divine.

Welcome

Prayer

God of love, you have bound us together in life with these babies and opened the door of heaven to every human being. Look upon us in your mercy, give us courage to face our grief and bring us all to the fullness of life.

All: In the name of the God we worship we make our prayer.

A Reading from the Bible

For you created my inmost being;
You knit me together in my mother’s womb
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Your works are wonderful I know that full well.
My frame is not hidden from you
When I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
Your eyes saw my unformed body.
(Psalm 139 verses 13-15)

Reflection

We recognise the depth of sorrow and sadness that occurred at the time of the death of these babies.

Our prayer is that healing love would surround support and uphold all those who were affected by their death.

May our gathering here today, for this event, bring about a fitting conclusion to this time of uncertainty and pain.

Prayer

God of compassion you make nothing in vain and you love all you have created. You know our hearts and you share our sorrows. You know the range of emotions that have been caught up in the short lives of these babies.

Let your compassion and your peace flow through this moment and amongst all of us gathered here. Take away the torment ad despair that might still occupy parts of our lives and move us to that place of light, love and gentleness.

All: In the name of the God we worship we make our prayer.

Commendation

To you, gentle Father, we humbly entrust these babies, so precious in your sight.

Take them into your arms and welcome them into your presence, where there is no sorrow or pain, but only peace and joy with you for ever and ever.

Amen.

Committal

We have entrusted these babies to God and we now commit their bodies to the ground: Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust:

In sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life offered to us by the God who brings life out of death in this world and the next.

To him be glory for ever.

Amen.

Poem

Little one you had just arrived on this earth, made only the first
stage of your journey your story only just begun.
Your life was still only a mountain brook.
You were like snow that has just fallen from heaven,
pure and clean and white.
You were a tender lily
whose aroma was still locked up in its petals.

But now the candle of your earthly life has gone out, leaving our
world so dark that it seems as if the sun itself
was eclipsed by your passing.
But we believe that you will shine on us from above,
from the kingdom of light,
a kingdom of timelessness and playfulness, which seems to have
been made especially for little ones like you.

Blessing

On our hearts and on our lives
– The blessing of God.
On our lives and our believing
– The blessing of God
At our end and our new beginnings
– The arms of God to welcome us and bring us home.

Amen.

PITY II (Parents who have Interred Their Young Twice) is the parents' support group set up in the wake of the organ retention scandal
at Alder Hey Hospital (Liverpool, UK). It aims to provide self help support and advice to affected families.

Keywords: PITY II, pity II, pity ii, PITY 2, PITY2, pity 2, pity2, Never Again, never again, DNA, Myrtle Street, poem, poetry, honouring the memory, memorial, Law Reform, Liverpool, liverpool, organ, retention, alder hey, heart, inquiry, Redfern, redfern, scandal, support, children, Retained Organs Commission, ROC, coroners, Litigation & Mediation