Edward's SHARE group to host holiday Service of Remembrance

The SHARE group of Edward Hospital in Naperville, which supports families who have experienced pregnancy or neonatal loss, will welcome families to an annual Service of Remembrance on Tuesday, Dec. 5, at Our Saviour's Lutheran Church in Naperville.

All who grieve the loss of a baby, whether that loss was recent or many years ago, are invited to attend. The service will run from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the sanctuary of Our Saviour's, 815 S. Washington St. (next to Edward Hospital) in Naperville.

"It's a beautiful way for families to remember their babies at the holidays," says Sue Villa, R.N., coordinator of the perinatal bereavement program at Edward-Elmhurst Health. "The church is decorated for Christmas; the lights are low; and we read the names of all the babies who are being remembered that evening."

Attendees are invited to bring an ornament that they can place on a Christmas tree at the front of the Sanctuary when their baby's or babies' names are read aloud.

After the service, the tree will be moved to Edward Hospital's south lobby, where it will be on display throughout December.

The Women's Chorale of Our Saviour's Lutheran Church, the longtime host of the remembrance service, will perform, and Our Saviour's Associate Pastor Elisabeth Pynn Himmelman, a former hospital chaplain and the coordinator of the church's recent "Experiencing Grief" series, will offer a welcome to families.

Refreshments, courtesy of Edward Hospital nurses, will be available after the service, and families can take home a votive candle to keep.

No registration is required; all are welcome. For more information about SHARE, contact Susan.Villa@EEHealth.org; for information about Our Saviour's Lutheran Church, visit oursaviours.com.