HUNTERSVILLE — Parents mourning the loss of a child in the womb are invited to a special Mass of Consolation on Saturday, Nov. 18.
The Mass will be offered starting at 9 a.m. at St. Mark Church, located at 14740 Stumptown Road in Huntersville. A reception with light refreshments will follow in the parish’s Kerin Center.
This Mass is being offered for all those who have miscarried or had a stillborn child. Parents will have the opportunity to write their child’s name in a book of remembrance, and each family will receive a small pillar candle. The event is an opportunity for families to console one another and receive resources for further healing.
“We have suffered this pain personally in that we have three precious babies that we miscarried. We believe that all children are a gift from God, and we all mourn the loss of a child in the womb,” said Deacon Thomas Martin and his wife Heather Martin, who organized the event in coordination with the Diocese of Charlotte Office of Family Life. “We also trust that God is merciful and that He is lovingly caring for our precious babies in heaven.”
Organizers plan to make the Mass of Consolation an annual event. Attendees are encouraged but not required to RSVP to Jessica Grabowski, diocesan Respect Life Program coordinator, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
— Annie Ferguson
NASHVILLE — The Charlotte Section of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem participated in the annual Mid Atlantic Lieutenancy Investiture Weekend Oct. 28-29.
Two people were invested as new members and two members were promoted in rank.
New members are: Dame Lynn Elizabeth Frank of Sacred Heart Parish in Salisbury and Dame Nancy Elizabeth Llewellyn of St. Michael Parish in Gastonia.
Dame Joan Marie Slep was promoted to Dame Grand Cross and Sir William Francis Dealy III was promoted to Knight Grand Cross. Both are members of St. Matthew Parish in Charlotte.
The Charlotte Section now has 56 members: nine clergy and 47 laity.
The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem was founded nearly a thousand years ago by the pope during the Crusades, when Jerusalem came under attack.
Today, men and women of the order – approximately 30,000 people in 40 countries worldwide – still defend and support the Catholic presence in the Holy Land through their charitable work.
Members wear distinctive capes featuring a thick red Jerusalem cross with four miniature crosses in each corner of the main cross.
The five crosses represent the five wounds of Christ.
— Photo provided by Rick Taylor