Pam Driedger, spiritual care director at the Saint John Regional Hospital, and Karen Belyea, managing director of Brenan's Funeral Home, unveil a new memorial bench at St. Joseph's Cemetery on Sept. 25, 2019. (Photo submitted)
People who visit St. Joseph’s Cemetery in east Saint John will notice a new granite bench in a peaceful corner.
The bench was donated by Brenan’s Funeral Home and Smet Monuments in memory of babies lost during pregnancy.
Karen Belyea, the managing director of Brenan’s, said the idea came from a mother who reached out to her following a burial service.
Twice a year, Brenan’s works with the spiritual care department at the Saint John Regional Hospital to bury any babies lost during pregnancy.
“She went back to the cemetery to visit after the service and found it unsettling that she buried her child there but there was nothing there to mark where her baby was buried,” said Belyea.
Belyea said it has always been in the back of her mind that there should be something there.
“It didn’t really seem quite right to go to the cemetery and do the burial of these babies lost during pregnancy and then walk away and there’s nothing there to indicate the burial even happened,” she said.
Belyea said she reached out to her boss and Smet Monuments in St. Stephen, and together, they designed the memorial bench.
She said they hope the bench can be a place of peace and contemplation in a busy world.
“The goal would be, hopefully, that this area could provide some comfort to those left behind.”
Follow
