by Rick Snizek
EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. (CNS) – Finally, “Baby Francis” is resting in peace.
In a simple, but dignified ceremony June 10 in a section of Gate of Heaven Cemetery set aside for the repose of babies, Bishop Thomas J. Tobin of Providence presided over a Christian burial service for the unborn child he named “Francis.” Doing so, he fulfilled a commitment he made to officials five months ago after a fetus was found floating amid the sewage at a nearby wastewater treatment facility.
A tiny white casket, with “Baby Francis 2015” inscribed on a gold plaque affixed to one end, and flanked by flowers and a small teddy bear, rested upon a portable pine altar as the burial service was conducted under a brilliant blue sky.
“Now, we must entrust the soul of Baby Francis to the abundant mercy of God so that this beloved child may find finally a home in his kingdom,” Bishop Tobin prayed before a gathering of about 20 individuals representing the Diocese of Providence and its active Respect Life Office and Human Life Guild.
Despite a five-month investigation into the case, not much is known about the circumstances in which the unborn child ended up at the Bucklin Wastewater Treatment Facility Jan. 12, when a worker saw what at first appeared to be a doll floating amid the slurry in a collection area of the plant’s Screen and Grit Building, according to the East Providence Police Department.
At the time, the bishop offered a “decent and proper burial” for the unborn child, also offering prayers for his parents and the situation that led them to dispose of a child in such a tragic way. The medical examiner’s office indicated the child was a male, about 19 to 20 weeks gestation, but could not release the body until after the investigation.
On June 5, the body was released to the custody of the diocese, and was sent to the Boyle Funeral Home, which donated its services and the casket.
St. Gabriel’s Call, a ministry of the diocesan Office of Life & Family, provided the flowers and gravestone that will read “Baby Francis – 2015.” The Catholic Cemeteries Association donated the burial plot.
Bishop Tobin said he chose to name the baby Francis in honor of Pope Francis’ eloquence in encouraging Catholics to change the “throwaway culture” of abortion that pervades society today.