Baystate to Hold Service of Remembrance for Families Who Have Lost a Child

SPRINGFIELD — Baystate Children’s Hospital will hold its annual Service of Remembrance on Monday, April 29 for all area families who have experienced the death of a child over the past year.

All family member and friends are invited to attend the event, which will be held at 5:30 p.m. at Baystate Medical Center’s Chestnut Conference Center at 759 Chestnut St., Springfield. The special event is also open to families with losses prior to 2018, who are asked to call to pre-register if they plan on attending.

“We hope that the Service of Remembrance and the reception that follows will provide the opportunity for a special group of families to come together to remember and honor their children,” said Marianne MacCullagh, the hospital’s pediatric chaplain.

Baystate Children’s Hospital staff will be in attendance at the event to remember and pay tribute to the children and families who were under their care. The service will include readings, music, and a ceremony of light. Families are invited to share a photograph or other memento of their child on a table of memories at the event. 

As part of the service, families will be given a piece of fabric which they can personalize in memory of their child before it is added, along with others, to create a memory quilt. Some of the quilts created in previous years will also be on display at the event, replacing the annual fall memorial quilt exhibit held at Baystate Medical Center. All families are encouraged to attend this separate event, also located in the Chestnut Building. 

All families planning on attending are asked to respond by April 12 to MacCullagh at (413) 794-1450 with their child’s name and if they would like to have his or her name read aloud during the memorial service, regardless of whether they can attend the event, as well as the number of adults and children planning to attend.