Story by Joe Pisani

Photos by Amy Mortensen

NEWTOWN — They came in sorrow and they came in joy to what had been an empty field, but was transformed into Little Angels Shrine at Resurrection Cemetery, because of one woman’s dream 21 years ago to create a resting place for unborn children.

They came to bless a white marble statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the unborn, that stands by a stream flowing through the cemetery. 

They prayed and they cried and they listened to the sound of children’s laughter on a beautiful September morning.

“How fitting it is that on this feast of the Most Holy Name of the Blessed Virgin Mary we gather in her honor as well as in the honor of so many who have lost children through miscarriage, stillbirth and abortion,” said Father Eric Silva, pastor of St. Joseph Church in Danbury. “This shrine is meant to be a place of great hope and consolation, as well as a place to mourn. And truly there is no better person in our faith to help us grieve properly and mourn properly than Our Lady.”

He said she provides the consolation only a mother can to those suffering the loss of a child. 

Father Silva, who assisted Adrienne and Albert Keogler in their cause to have the shrine built, said: “If we’re pro-life, we have to be pro-life from conception until natural death, and I think one of the most overlooked populations are women who suffer miscarriages. A lot of it is done in silence, without the knowledge of family or friends, but these women who suffer need not suffer alone.”

It was a special day for the Keoglers, who are parents of seven sons and grandparents of 22 children, with three more on the way, many of whom accompanied them. 

“I’m so grateful because it’s been a 21-year journey that began because we have a baby Anna, who’s memorialized here and is buried at St. Rose Cemetery” she said. “We also had three babies we miscarried that we were not able to bury. Our goal was to bring comfort to other mothers. It’s such an important part of the grieving process to be able to acknowledge and memorialize and name your baby because they’re with you forever.”

She expressed her gratitude to Catholic Cemeteries and Fathers Silva and Peter Towsley, who helped them pursue their vision.

From the beginning, she wanted Our Lady of Guadalupe to be the focus of the shrine. 

“We just knew she was supposed to be here because she’s the patroness of life,” Adrienne said. “The shrine is a place of comfort for families, but I felt it wasn’t complete until she was present. She’s pregnant in her image, and that is important because she understands the maternal part.”

To promote their cause, her family created a magnet with Our Lady of Guadalupe’s image surrounded by the words “At the moment of conception, there is eternal life in the womb.”

“It’s very comforting to know that no matter how early the miscarriage, the baby’s life is eternal,” Adrienne said. “And it’s also very comforting to know you’ll be with your baby again someday.”

Albert Keogler said: “I’m so happy. We’ve worked together on this, but really it’s been Adrienne’s dream for so long, and she’s never let go. I felt my job was to support her in everything she was doing.”

For him, it was an emotional moment to see their daughter Anna’s name on the bench beside the statue of Our Lady.

Kenn Devane, who directs cemetery relations, recounted the creation of the shrine and said: “Back in February 2024, this was just an open field. There was nothing here but freezing cold weather and snow, and because of Adrienne and Father Silva, who brought the idea to us, we got it through all the red tape and here it is today. Some of us have been here before in the pouring rain, and I said then that it was symbolic of the tears we have spilled for our lost babies. Yesterday was 9/11 and we said, ‘We shall not forget.’And that’s exactly why we’re here today — because we refuse to forget.”

Carolyn Killian, Director of Bereavement, who organized the event, thanked everyone for coming and expressed her appreciation to Father Silva, Adrienne Keogler and Dr. Patrica Woods, whose donation made the purchase of the statue possible.

“Dr. Woods serves as consultant to our Bereavement Ministry, and in that role, trains and mentors all our volunteers,” Killian said. “She is completely committed to providing faith-based support to those who are grieving, and we are incredibly blessed to have her guiding us in our work. Her donation has made this sacred space even more meaningful as our Blessed Mother watches over all our babies who are buried, and remembered, in this consecrated ground.”

Bridget Sclafani spent the morning at the shrine, praying and tidying up Our Lady’s sacred space before others arrived.

“This place was just an empty field, but I came here in the emptiness and prayed,” she said. “It makes me feel good when I’m here. I spent my mornings here. Instead of praying in my house, I came here and sat on a bench. This morning, I listened to the water and the birds, and I thought, ‘I can feel my four miscarried children. I can feel my husband. I can feel the strength this place brings.’ I can sit in church. I can sit in my living room. But there’s nothing like this space to give me comfort, and I hope and pray all of you feel that gift of comfort and hope and know God is with us everywhere.”

She said Our Lady spoke to her as she sat on the bench that morning. 

“She is always with us, and when she looks at you like she looked at me the day the statue went up, she will talk to you. She will comfort you,” Sclafani said. “So I encourage you to come here — and don’t mind me if I’m here at sunrise and sunset. It’s a beautiful place to let yourself go and hear her speak to you.”

The Little Angels Shrine at 208 S. Main Street offers a sacred place to bury the remains of a miscarriage, a stillborn baby or an infant who died shortly after birth, Killian said. To date, Catholic Cemeteries has buried 15 miscarried, stillborn or babies who died shortly after birth and memorialized more than 100 on the Shrine’s Wall of Remembrance.

The consecrated ground provides a reverent place of prayer and healing for parents and those who have experienced the death of a child. The shrine has an altar area with seats and benches for services, surrounded by 14 Carrara marble Stations of the Cross. There are five memorial walls where remains, when available, will be buried, and a plaque will be affixed to the wall. When remains are not available, a plaque honoring your child will be placed on a memorial wall at the shrine. For more information, visit: https://ctcemeteries.org/bereavement-support/little-angels-shrine/