Mission for the Unborn
The Memorial was dedicated on December 12, 2008, the Solemnity of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mother of the Unborn, to the memory of God’s tiniest children who, at the very beginning of life, have died in the womb or in childbirth, or who have been victims of procured abortion and experimentation upon embryonic human life.
Healing Through…
Bodily Entombment
The Memorial to the Unborn includes a columbarium where the remains of unborn children are laid to rest.
Limestone Inscription
The babies can also be honored on the Memorial’s limestone wall, where names and dates are inscribed.
Catholic Church Teaching
Four bronze plaques in the Memorial display the Church’s teachings on the sacredness of human life.
Pray for the Unborn
Deceased unborn children listed on our digital Prayer Wall are remembered in the Shrine’s regular intentions.
Memorial Services for Unborn Children
- Entombment of the remains of the unborn child in the columbarium, accompanied by the rite of blessing by an ordained bishop, priest or deacon in good standing with the Catholic Church and an inscription on the granite covering.
- Inscription of name and date on the limestone wall of the Memorial to the Unborn. Various inscription formats are available.
For additional information on memorializing a loved one at the Memorial to the Unborn, please:
- Call (877) 799-4059 Ext 227
- Email Entombment Coordinator
- Download the brochure
Digital Wall
If you, a loved one or a friend, have had a baby die before birth, you are invited to enter the name of the baby below. The baby’s name will be added to the prayer intentions entrusted to the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe
The Dignity of Human Life
Also located in the Memorial to the Unborn arcade are four bronze educational plaques which state the teaching of the Catholic Church on the topics of contraception, abortion, embryonic stem cell research, and the dignity of human life, all excerpted from the writings of Blessed Pope John Paul II.
The Evil of Abortion
Cardinal Burke discusses the crime of abortion as the greatest evil of our time.
“The Memorial to the Unborn eloquently expresses the message of Our Lady of Guadalupe: God’s all-merciful love toward all of His children from the moment of their conception. Even as God Himself chose to be conceived in the womb of the Virgin Mary, as the first moment of His greatest act of love of us, so He has taught us the inviolable dignity of all human life. Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mother of America and Star of the New Evangelization, is, in a particular way, the Mother of the Unborn.”
– Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke, Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, 12 December 2008
All who have lost a baby before birth, or whose relatives or friends have suffered such a loss, are encouraged to enter the child’s name on the digital prayer wall. These little ones are included in the constant prayers of Our Lady’s Shrine. Only first names are displayed publicly, and no donation is required.