Garden of the Holy Innocents
A Sacred Resting Place for Miscarried Infants.
The Garden of the Holy Innocents is a unique burial section within the Catholic Cemeteries of Columbus. Although it is located at Resurrection Cemetery in Lewis Center, Ohio, it serves our entire Central Ohio area by providing a dignified and sacred resting place for infants who were miscarried or full-term infants who died and were cremated.
Fr. Homer Blubaugh,
chaplain for Back in His Arms Again ministry,
blessed The Garden of the Holy Innocents on April 12, 2014. Over the years, thousands of parents have chosen this consoling option to bury their babies. It is the final resting place for nearly 4,000 babies.
The Garden of the Holy Innocents is available to any parent free of charge. Cemetery staff will go to any hospital in
Columbus to take the infant into their care, or parents may bring their
baby to the cemetery if the miscarriage occurred at home. At a time of
heartbreaking loss, the Garden of the Holy Innocents provides a family with a
peaceful, prayerful place for healing.
A Visual History
The Garden of Holy Innocents suffered major, unrepairable storm damage in 2023. Over the past several years, Catholic Cemeteries of Columbus has rebuilt the Garden, turning this space into a lovely and distinct section of our grounds. The Garden continues to be maintained so as to provide a beautiful and tranquil place for prayer and remembrance.
2014
Created with the Feast of the Holy Innocents in mind, this tranquil garden was blessed on April 12, 2014, by Father Homer Blubaugh, chaplain for Back in His Arms Again ministry.
2014-2022
The Garden of the Holy Innocents has been a consoling refuge, providing over 3,500 babies a dignified and sacred resting place. Available to any parent at no charge, our dedicated staff extend their support far beyond the confines of our cemetery, offering to take infants into our care from any hospital in Columbus.
2023
March 2023 marked a challenging chapter for The Garden of Holy Innocents when a fierce storm inflicted significant damage upon this hallowed space. The original statue was beyond repair and was removed from the grounds.
2024
Recognizing the importance of this sanctuary, Catholic Cemeteries of Columbus is committed to restoring and enhancing the Garden of Holy Innocents. Enhancements already made include a new statue of Our Lady with Child, updated landscaping, and benches, making the garden a beautiful space for reflection and remembrance. In addition, we plan on adding new memorial bricks, additional landscaping, and acknowledgement of donors.
2024
At our Wave of Light Event hosted in conjunction with Back in His Arms Again, the renovated Garden of the Holy Innocents and the new statue of Our Lady with Child was blessed by Fr. Homer Blubaugh.
2025
Memorial bricks purchased by families with infants in the Garden were re-engraved and placed, and bronze butterflies honoring major donors in this project were placed along the walkway.
