Wee Souls Memorial Garden525 Tylehurst Street
Winnipeg, Manitoba St James Cemetery Commemorating the Wee Souls who did not survive their mother’s pregnancies and were entrusted into the care of St. James.
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St James Cemetery interred its first soul in 1856. It is not an 'Anglican' cemetery, but a cemetery for the people who settled in this area, which became the community, then town, then city of St James. (For more information, see our Old St James page.)
From the 1880s to 1976, St. James Cemetery became the resting place for many wee souls who did not survive their mother’s pregnancy, due either to miscarriage or still birth. Our cemetery was entrusted with their care and they were buried in unmarked graves.
Over many years requests were occasionally made to seek the resting place of these wee souls, but we were unable to find their names in our records. A missing register book was recently located, and it has been instrumental in creating a directory listing the names of over 2500 wee ones. Now, we are able to confirm the burial of an infant, although none of these graves is marked.
This Memorial Garden is a place where people can come to contemplate the loss of the infant that is close to their hearts, wherever the infant is buried.
Our church plans to celebrate these special wee lives at a service of caring and remembrance, every October 15, on International Pregnancy and Infant Loss Day. Anyone who remembers with love a wee soul in their lives is welcome to come to this service.
Over many years requests were occasionally made to seek the resting place of these wee souls, but we were unable to find their names in our records. A missing register book was recently located, and it has been instrumental in creating a directory listing the names of over 2500 wee ones. Now, we are able to confirm the burial of an infant, although none of these graves is marked.
This Memorial Garden is a place where people can come to contemplate the loss of the infant that is close to their hearts, wherever the infant is buried.
Our church plans to celebrate these special wee lives at a service of caring and remembrance, every October 15, on International Pregnancy and Infant Loss Day. Anyone who remembers with love a wee soul in their lives is welcome to come to this service.
The dedication service for the Memorial Garden took place on October 7, 2020. While many people wanted to attend, we were limited by provincial Covid-19 protocols. However, the service was videotaped ... and can be watched here. It is our Facebook page, which is public ... you should be able to watch the video without having to create an account.
It was a very windy day; I removed most of the noise from the wind, but some words are still muffled. If you would like to follow along, you can download the service text here. (But some of Father Murray's speech was not scripted)
It was a very windy day; I removed most of the noise from the wind, but some words are still muffled. If you would like to follow along, you can download the service text here. (But some of Father Murray's speech was not scripted)
