St. Gianna Ministry gives hope to parents suffering miscarriage, infant death

OFFERING HOPE  A photo of St. Gianna Beretta Molla with one of her children is displayed in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson during a Mass for the saint, which was held by the St. Gianna Ministry of St. John’s. The group supports mothers and fathers who have suffered a miscarriage or the death of an infant.

Maritza Neira remembers it like it was yesterday — holding her infant son in the hospital as he was dying. With the tears of a mother’s sorrow, she rocked him gently until he passed away in her arms only two and half days after he was born.

That darkest of days for Neira happened 26 years ago. Yet, in the midst of unbearable grief, this parishioner of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson found hope in Christ.

“I was crying, but I knew that my baby was with Jesus,” said Neira, a married mother of two older children and six grandchildren. Her baby boy, named Jesusito, was baptized before his death from a heart ailment. “At that moment, I knew the love of Jesus more than at any other time.”

Today, Neira brings her pain and her witness to Christ’s love to St. Gianna Ministry, a year-old outreach at St. John’s. The group offers support to mothers and fathers who have suffered a miscarriage or death of an infant, for example, from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.

The ministry is named after St. Gianna Beretta Molla, patron of couples who suffer from miscarriage or infertility. The group will meet on the last Monday of the month at 7 p.m. in the cathedral, starting Sept. 25.

“I know the pain a mother suffers,” Neira said. Members share their suffering and help each other walk into the light of Jesus, which also helps them heal. “I do this for Jesus. We need to pray for the world, people, and babies. I pray for my son.”

Ministry members give support with their words and presence. They might suggest that a couple start a devotion to a saint whose feast day is on or around their baby’s due date or death date. They might refer to a relevant Scripture passage.

Members also might point to the Italian-born St. Gianna. While carrying her fourth child, doctors found a tumor in her uterus. They urged her to abort, but she refused. Instead, she underwent surgery to remove as much of the tumor as possible but to keep the pregnancy intact. She gave birth to a healthy baby girl but died a week later in 1962.

The group’s facilitator is Ivannia Vega-McTighe, St. John’s pastoral associate. Married with two daughters, she suffered a miscarriage in 2011.

“Newer members look to older members and realize they can get through it, even though the pain will never leave them,” Vega-McTighe said. “We help them find meaning in their loss and victory in Christ — bringing life out of pain.”

So far, the ministry has held two Masses for St. Gianna in the cathedral — one with a relic of the saint on view for veneration. Another Mass is planned for April 29, 2024.

Part of St. John’s bereavement ministry, the group also has partnered with Courage in Time, a non-profit organization that gives out Courage Boxes. They include such items as a journal, prayer book, and coloring book.

Often, these parents feel isolated. They lack family or community support to heal. Society minimizes their loss, which happens quietly, said Msgr. Geno Sylva, St. John’s rector and diocesan vicar for special projects.

“With this needed outreach, we want to join these parents in their grieving and healing through God’s great mercy,” Msgr. Sylva said.

To learn more about St. Gianna Ministry, contact Vega-McTighe at 973-345-4070 or [email protected]