13.11.2020
Service of Prayer and Naming & Funeral Service in cases of Miscarriage, Stillbirth and Neonatal Death
The Church of Ireland has two new services available for use when a family experiences miscarriage, stillbirth or neonatal death. The Liturgical Advisory Committee has announced that the Service of Prayer and Naming and the Funeral Service in cases of Miscarriage, Stillbirth and Neonatal Death, as approved by the General Synod, are available in the Prayer & Worship section of the Church of Ireland website.
The Services are accompanied by Pastoral and Liturgical Guidelines for Clergy, and a Certificate of Naming which commends a child to God’s ever–caring and gentle love.
Commending the resources, the chair of the committee, Archbishop Michael Jackson, remarked: “While no words can adequately respond to or address the sense of loss experienced by family members when a child dies near the time of birth, it is our hope that these resources for worship will go some way toward expressing loss and knowing that God is present. It is in this spirit of compassion and hope that the Liturgical Advisory Committee offers them for use.”
The Services and related resources are available to download from this link.