Elizabeth Ministry

Together through the Joys, Challenges and Sorrows of the Childbearing Years

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Click here to request support from SFX Elizabeth Ministry!

(Feel free request support for yourself or for someone else)

SFX Elizabeth Ministry seeks to create a community of women who “minister with one another in a personal,  caring manner. Elizabeth ministers are not counselors or experts. They are women who are willing to share their presence, stories, and experiences in the hope that these will support, encourage, console, and at times bring healing to another woman. The women offer the greatest gift they possess, namely, themselves.”

We do this by:

• visiting one another as Mary and Elizabeth visited each other - with love, a listening ear, and supportive words
• offering our congratulations and condolences through card-writing and meal provisions after births, adoptions, or losses
• praying together during our annual Mass for Mothers (biological, foster, adoptive, spiritual, or aspiring)
• other creative projects based on the gifts and talents of our Elizabeth Ministers! 

If you are interested in getting involved in this ministry, please fill out this brief form. Completing the interest form is not a commitment. It is simply an opportunity to get to know other women and reflect on how your unique gifts might bring joy, comfort, and healing to others in our community!

Support and Celebration after Birth or Adoption

If you or someone you know has recently given birth or adopted a child, please fill out this form so that we can send them a congratulatory card and offer our resources in celebration of the arrival their new family member!

Support after Miscarriage 

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I dedicated you.
Jeremiah 1:5

A pregnancy that ends in miscarriage is devastating.
 
St. Francis Xavier seeks to support mothers, fathers, couples, and families following the loss of their unborn child, whether it was very recently or many years ago.
 
If you have experienced the loss of an unborn child, know that you are not alone. We embrace you as a supportive community during this time of grief. The Catholic Church cares for every life no matter how fragile or brief. 

We offer a variety of options for support as you mourn the loss of your child: 

- Private prayer service or funeral service for the child

- Conversation with a minister or a mother/family who shares your experience

- Communal prayer services and memorials for the children of our parishioners whom we never met in this life

If you or someone you know has recently lost a child, please fill out the form above or email mmcmahon@sfxlg.org so that we can offer our resources as they mourn their loss.

If you are currently struggling with infertility, the adoption process, or the foster care process OR if you are grieving the loss of a child to miscarriage and would like to speak with a Pastoral Minister, please feel free to contact Maggie McMahon at mmcmahon@sfxlg.org