Find solace in ‘Nursery of Heaven’
LINCOLNTON — Even amid an outpouring of condolences, grief can leave us feeling isolated and misunderstood – particularly when it involves the loss of an unborn child or infant. A local Catholic author wants to offer hope to those who have experienced such tragedies.
Patrick O’Hearn, a member of St. Dorothy Parish in Lincolnton, is shedding light on the suffering of parents who have experienced miscarriage and other forms of child loss, helping them find comfort through the stories of others – including his own.
Readers can find these accounts in “Nursery of Heaven,” O’Hearn’s new book coauthored by Cassie Everts and available from Sophia Institute Press Aug. 20.
“The Holy Spirit wanted me to use my sufferings to help other people, and so that’s when I reached out to Cassie about writing this book with me,” O’Hearn says.
Through a mutual friend, O’Hearn had heard about Everts’ five miscarriages and how she wanted to share her experience to help others.
“God brought us together to write this book,” O’Hearn says.
“To share my own grief and journey, knowing someone is carrying the same cross, really helped,” Everts adds. “When I experienced my own miscarriages, I never had felt so isolated and alone. I didn’t know where to turn, what the Church offered, or who to ask for help – my prayer is that ‘Nursery of Heaven’ will provide those answers for other women and couples.”
In the pages, readers will find the stories of Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin, St. Gianna Molla, and Servant of God Chiara Corbella Petrillo as well as those of Everts, O’Hearn and his wife Amanda, and other modern-day couples. Each shares the realities of losing a child and the consolations God has given them.
“When you lose a child, there’s a sense of isolation, especially when you’re in parishes where everyone else is having a lot of children, because that can be painful,” O’Hearn says. “Priests do their best but sometimes don’t know what to say, so you just feel like you’re carrying this hidden cross.”
Everts adds that there is never a quick fix or easy words when someone is experiencing the loss of a baby. They want their book to be a helpful resource and source of comfort.
Besides the personal stories, the book has prayers such as the “Blessing of Parents after a Miscarriage or Stillbirth,” “Order for the Naming of an Infant Who Died before Birth,” Scripture passages and novenas.
Both authors also recommend attending a Mass of Consolation like the one to be held this fall at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 16, at St. Mark Church in Huntersville.
“Often people won’t say anything at all, or say that you’ll have another child, and so that’s why many parents are so private about it, but here’s a book where people are pouring their hearts out,” O’Hearn says. “You’ll realize that reading it gives a little touch of grace in your heart.”
Everts’ message to women going through such a loss: “May you find comfort knowing that your baby is in heaven and never forget the powerful intercessor they now are before the throne of God. And while the world may have never known this beautiful child, our hearts never forget the life we were blessed to carry, no matter how short the time was, and the honor it is to be their mother.”
— Annie Ferguson
Order and learn more
At www.sophiainstitute.com: Buy a copy of “Nursery of Heaven”
At www.patrickrohearn.com: Get to know the author and St. Dorothy parishioner
‘Cantemus Domino’
Juan Manuel Cajero, choir director at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Charlotte, talks about the release of a new CD that includes songs with original music and lyrics. ( César Hurtado | Catholic News Herald)
CHARLOTTE — Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish recently released its third musical production, “Cantemus Domino,” under the guidance of its longtime music director, Juan Manuel Cajero.
Cajero composed and produced the religious-themed collection, a series of psalms and reflections set to original music.
Each of the themes includes a personal reflection by priests who have served at the Charlotte parish over the years. One of the songs includes a reflection from his own brother, Father José Luis Cajero Ramos, who died unexpectedly in April at only 38 years old. A priest for seven years, Father Cajero served at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish during the summer months of 2013 and 2015.
Cajero describes the musical collection as “psalms for healing, for forgiveness, for moments of sadness and melancholy, for thanksgiving.”
A native of Mexico, Cajero says he always had a taste for the religious music that he heard growing up in his Catholic home.
Inspired by seminarians who visited his parish while on their missionary travels, Cajero entered the minor seminary of Guadalajara when he was just 15 years old. There he learned music theory and Gregorian chant. He became interested in piano but was disappointed because the rigorous studies of seminary life left him little time left over to pursue music.
In 2002 he visited Charlotte while on vacation and met a priest who would shape his life: Vincentian Father Vincent Finnerty, then pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish. Father Finnerty invited him to stay in Charlotte and discern the priesthood with his religious order.
Cajero enrolled in classes at Central Piedmont Community College, studying philosophy and psychology as part of his vocation discernment process, but music was still beckoning him. He switched to music classes and joined the college’s opera group.
Cajero became convinced that music – not priestly ministry – was how God was calling him to serve the Church. In 2004 Father Finnerty put him in charge of the parish choirs, and Cajero didn’t look back.
A year later, his musical skills were brought to bear for a special occasion at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish: the ordination of a Vincentian priest. Cajero and the choir rehearsed new material, and Father Finnerty liked it so much he asked them to record it on a CD.
“A New Day Dawns” was their first production, but it wouldn’t be their last.
Cajero and the parish choir planned to release a second CD with original music, but the COVID-19 pandemic delayed their efforts. In 2023, “Let God Win” was finally released. Among the songs was an original composition Cajero had created as the entrance song at his wedding: “Yo te acepto a ti.”
Cajero, now father of three children – Sofía, Natalia and Emmanuel – does not know what God has planned for his future, whether it’s writing more music, focusing on his family life or something else. His additional duties as a tribunal advocate at the parish are also fulfilling, he says.
“I want to continue studying and growing. I want to finish canon law to help my community, especially the non-English speaking community. I feel very sorry for people who cannot receive Communion. This helps them to rebuild their lives.”
Yet, Cajero adds, he will never give up music entirely. And he is already preparing a new production that he plans to call “What I Believe In,” he says, “where I will sing to women, to family, to life.”
— César Hurtado