News for the Week of September 28, 2007

Children’s angel comes to St. Anne’s By Dolores Courtemanche CFP Correspondent STURBRIDGE - Sheltered by an oval of pines behind the St. Francis Chapel on the grounds of St. Anne’s Shrine is a gripping statue of a child-like angel holding her arms up to be lifted.

It is an Angel of Hope, a memorial that honors children who have predeceased their parents and was dedicated Saturday before a gathering of about 600 people. There were emotional greetings and embraces between friends, acquaintances and relatives who all seemed to be part of an exclusive club.

But this is not a group anyone would care to be counted among its members. People milled all around the statue reading the names engraved on grey stones that are laid in the immediate area. There are 2,300 of them and 138 have been engraved.

“It’s a beautiful and spiritual ground. And you are all welcome here at any time,” said Father Peter R. Precourt, pastor of St. Anne and St. Patrick Church.

“It’s a place for everyone to be together … parents and children,” said Linda Bilodeau of Shrewsbury who spearheaded this project. “There’s a lot of spirituality here. These people share the same pain.”

The Christmas Box Angel Statue came about following the publication of a very small but powerful novella by Richard Paul Evans called “The Christmas Box.” In the book a woman mourns her child at the base of an angel monument. After a television movie was made of the story, people flocked to a cemetery in Salt Lake City looking for the statue. There was none. According to Evans, the original statue was lost in a flood in 1984. He received so many inquiries about the statue, he commissioned father and son sculptors, Ortho and Jared Fairbanks of Salt Lake City, to create another one.

Newspaper articles spawned interest in the memorial and soon Angels of Hope found homes in other locations. There are now 73 angel memorials throughout the country and only one other in STURBRIDGE MASSACHUSETTS. It’s located in Easthampton.

Ms. Bilodeau lost her daughter, Jill Ann Bilodeau in 2001 in a motorcycle accident. Jill had an adventuresome personality and because she enjoyed surfing at Point Judith, her ashes were scattered at this spot and a local resident allowed the Bilodeaus to put a granite marker near the Point Judith Lighthouse.

Why did Ms. Bilodeau feel the need for another memorial? “This is a place for all the children and their parents,” she said, adding that people say they find comfort at the memorial. “When someone comes in behind you and gives you a hug, somehow it’s strengthening,” she said. “Only a parent who has lost a child can understand another’s loss,”

Ms. Bilodeau said she had a lot of help raising about $25,000 for the statue and landscaping. “A lot of family, friends and businesses reached out to us … and most have never lost children,” she said, adding that Sylvia Gaumond of Southbridge has worked with her for two years.

A candle vigil is held annually on Dec. 6 at 7 p.m. at all the memorial sites. It is the only organized event held there. But families are welcome together on special dates. Ms. Bilodeau said many observe their “angel day” or the day their child died.

– More information may be obtained from the Web site, www.theangelofhope.org. Anyone who would like an engraved marker to be in place for the December vigil should contact the site by Oct. 15 or call Ms. Bilodeau at 508-842-6001. The markers are $100.