Details from The Catholic World Report:
Bishop Donald J. Hying of the Diocese of Madison blessed the newly installed pro-life sculpture by Slovakian artist Martin Hudáček, calling it a compelling witness to the dignity of every human life and the “fundamental conviction that death does not have the final say.”
About 75 people gathered at Resurrection Cemetery on Madison’s west side on November 4th for the blessing and dedication of “The Memorial of Unborn Children II,” a sculpture depicting the shock, horror, grief and regret of parents who have lost a child to abortion. The work, set on top of a 10,000-pound granite columbarium that will hold cremated remains of the faithful, has drawn widespread praise from pro-life leaders for including the father in the responsibility and grief of abortion.
“By the power of Jesus’ death and resurrection, every human life is transformed and given an eternal destiny. These are reminders to us in stone and in marble that fundamental conviction that death does not have the final say on it,” Bishop Hying said. “In a special way we pray for lost children. That’s through crib death or miscarriage, abortion — all the ways that children are sadly and tragically lost at the very beginning of their lives. This statue points us in the direction of the absolute dignity of every one of those lives, that those lives matter to God and they matter to us, that they are not forgotten, they are not lost and through the power of our prayer, we lift them up to the Lord Jesus.”
The sculpture, Memorial to the Unborn Child II by Slovakian sculptor Martin Hudácek, portrays a grieving mother and father in the presence of a four-year-old child, on a cruciform base.
The mother and father are in stone, while the child is made of a translucent material. Hudácek’s sculptures have been installed in Slovakia, Poland, Chile, and California. In 2015, Hudácek presented a copy of one of his sculptures to Pope Francis.
The donors first approached Mary Mead, coordinator for Project Rachel and Rachel’s Vineyard for the Diocese of Madison, in 2017 about the possibility of donating the sculpture.
Working with the diocese, a committee was formed that identified an appropriate location within Resurrection Cemetery. Mead said, “We are tremendously grateful for the generosity of our donors, who are so supportive of our work to bring healing and freedom to women and men.”
Regarding the location, Mead explained, “The donors liked the combination of visibility from Speedway Rd. and the privacy offered for private contemplation.”
