#211: A Parish’s Ministry to Miscarriage and Infant Loss (with Leeanne Schweiger)

This episode discusses topics of infertility, miscarriage and child loss, and could be triggering for some.
Today’s episode faces the indescribable pain of miscarriage, stillbirth and the loss of a child. October 15 is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day, and offers a chance for parishes to minister to families who carry a grief that no one ever should. We speak to Leeanne Schweiger, a woman who has started the St. Gerard Ministry in her parish.

This episode discusses the St. Gerard ministry- with St. Gerard being the patron saint of expectant mothers, mothers, women in childbirth and unborn children - and celebrating a Mass to honor those who long to be parents but have experienced a tragic loss that no one should endure.

For more information about Pregnancy & Infant Loss Awareness Day as well as resources that could aid in creating a service to support those suffering in your parish, check out the show notes of this episode.

SHOW NOTES

Bio: Leeanne Schweiger

Leeanne Schweiger is a member of Regina Coeli Parish (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania). She has helped to create and lead the St. Gerard Ministry, an organization that ministers to women and men who have lost children through miscarriage, stillbirth or early infancy, and to couples who are struggling with infertility.


For more information about Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day, visit the following links:
Star Legacy Foundation: Awareness Month

Pregnancy After Loss Support

Baby Loss Awareness Week

Ministry Monday Episode #052: Of Womb and Tomb (with Kate Williams)

Of Womb and Tomb: Prayer in Time of Infertility, Miscarriage, and Stillbirth (Ed. Kate Williams, GIA Publications G-9816)

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#210: Deaf Culture and Music Ministry (REPLAY)

This episode of Ministry Monday is sponsored by GIA Publications. Rooted in tradition with a clear focus on the future, Gather—Fourth Edition from GIA Publications features a diverse roster of composers and a wide breadth of musical styles in a worthy hardbound hymnal. Gather—Fourth Edition. Learn more at giamusic.com/hymnals.

September is Deaf Awareness Month in the United States. To a Deaf person, being deaf is not a disability! In fact, it is a subculture of its own that provides new, beautiful ways for worship in our Church. Today we speak to Karen Shepherd, director of the Deaf choir in the Diocese of Pittsburgh for almost 20 years. Karen explores what is a deaf choir, as well as the subtleties of an “interpreted” Mass versus a “signed” Mass. Karen also spearheaded the installation of a “hearing loop” system in her church and shares what we need to know, as pastoral musicians, should we ever want to install one in our own churches.

#209: “A Leavened Community”: Ensembleship, Listening and Musicality in Choirs (with Steven C. Warner)

This episode of Ministry Monday is sponsored by GIA Publications. Rooted in tradition with a clear focus on the future, Gather—Fourth Edition from GIA Publications features a diverse roster of composers and a wide breadth of musical styles in a worthy hardbound hymnal. Gather—Fourth Edition. Learn more at giamusic.com/hymnals.

Choir season is quickly approaching. We know that you’re planning which choir anthems to use, the rehearsal schedule and the plans for each rehearsal, but in this episode, we encourage you to pause and think about the needs of a choir a little bit differently this fall.

Today’s guest is Steven C. Warner. Steven Warner is the founder of the Notre Dame Folk Choir and, until recently, worked for the Notre Dame Newman Center for Faith and Reason in Dublin, Ireland. One of Steve’s many gifts lies in his ability to foster true inclusion and listening in his ensembles. Today we focus on the special qualities that elevate ensembleship within a choir, most of which are not actually music.