2024-04-19-eEdition

PAGE 10 THE CATHOLIC WEEK APRIL 19, 2024 Submitted byWilliamWilhelm “All life deserves to be buried with dignity and respect.”This is the mission statement of “Com- passionate Burials for Indigent Babies, a Loui- siana nonprofit founded by Lise Naccari, who found this calling after her own miscarriage. According to Naccari, “In most states, miscar- riages of babies less than 12 weeks are tragically disposed in medical waste instead of being buried. Most families who experience the above miscar- riage don't know they have the option of burial and some, unfortunately, can't afford a funeral and burial.”This is when CBIB comes in to help. In Louisiana, by law medical staff is required to present a family with a document advising them of their right to bury their child. Families often reach out to Naccari, who steps in and takes care of everything, from arranging a funeral home to the burial of the baby. In 2023,CBIB buried 41 babies, relying on monetary donations, and volunteers who build caskets for the babies.Other volunteers use retired Knights of Columbus capes and wedding dresses to line the baby's casket and create gowns for the precious baby. Local Knights of Columbus Color Corps also provides an Honor Guard, and often act as pallbearers at the funeral home and cemetery. The mission of CBIB was presented to Sir Knights at a meeting in Daphne at the Bay of the Holy Spirit Assembly 2573.The Knights agreed to contact their members to gather retired KofC capes and take them to Naccari, along with a $500 donation. Sir Knight Charles Badalementi, who is also a parishioner at Christ the King Church in Daph- ne, was present at the meeting and moved by the mission of CBIB. According to Badalementi, “I knew my late wife Deborah would want to do something for this organization.”Chuck met with his daughters and other family members and together they ultimately decided to donate Deborah's 1996 wedding dress to CBIB. Badalementi said, “ As honorable as the CBIB mission statement is, it was not an easy thing to part with my dear wife's wedding dress. However, I knew she would be absolutely honored that her dress was used to envelope a precious baby.” KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS BAY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT ASSEMBLY 2573 Knights donate capes, wedding dress to provide burials for indigent babies Submitted by William Wilhelm William Wilhelm and Lise Naccari show a wedding dress donated to "Compassionate Burials for Indigent Babies." Solar eclipse enlivens hearts with the glory of God's creation By KIMBERLEY HEATHERINGTON OSV News The Great North American Eclipse has come and gone into astronomical history — and, according to NASA, the mainland United States will not see another total solar eclipse until 2044. About 200 million people were in the path from Texas to Maine — but views depended on the weather permitting. In the Archdiocese of Las Vegas, weather did permit — so Auxiliary Bishop Gregory W. Gordon and the chancery staff headed outside with their eclipse-viewing glasses. "With our bright blue desert skies above us,my thoughts went first to the hymn, the 'Canticle of the Creatures,' composed by St. Francis of Assisi," Bishop Gordon told OSV News. "In it, the first creatures of God for which the saint praises the Lord — 'Laudato si', mi Signore' — are the sun and the moon, 'brother son' and 'sister moon.' These heavenly creatures seemed to be greeting each other yesterday." The Las Vegas area experienced 51% magnitude, or a partial eclipse. In a solar eclipse, the magnitude is the fraction of the sun's diameter that is covered by the moon. "The eclipse also invited me to ponder the Scriptures," Bishop Gordon said, "specifically Psalm 8: 'When I see your heavens, the work of your hands, the moon and the stars you set in place ...' We were truly beholding the handiwork of God." The eclipse also elicited a prayer from Bishop Gordon. "My prayer in response to this celestial phenomenon which we were blessed to witness is that all may look up and see with eyes of faith the creator of both sun and moon,God,Our Father," he offered. "And that we might also come to recognize that the pinnacle of his creation is the human person, called each day, solar eclipse or not, to be 'living in his most holy will.'"