Abandoned Baby Hope put to rest in Wheaton
Katarzyna Pudlo knew Baby Hope only from news accounts, but nonetheless she felt a strong tug at her heart to attend the infant's burial.
Pudlo traveled from Hoffman Estates to St. Michael Cemetery in Wheaton on Thursday morning to say goodbye to the newborn, who was found abandoned Aug. 15 in a wooded area off Plamondon Road, only a half-mile from the baby's final resting place.
Tears streamed down her face during the short service. She couldn't help but ask what the roughly 50 other people in attendance also thought at some point: Why?
"For me, it's unbelievable. Who can do something like that?" she said, noting that the decision to attend the service was a good one. "It's giving me peace, feeling that I did something good for the baby."
Pudlo was among other heartbroken mothers, uniformed officers, detectives in sunglasses and public officials who gathered at the burial site, many wiping away tears while looking upon the small, white casket.
Rev. Daniel Hoehn of St. Michael Catholic Church and DuPage County Sheriff's Deacon Guadalupe Villarreal led the ceremony, offering words of comfort to the people in attendance, as well as prayers for the child and her parents.
"Most merciful God whose wisdom is beyond our understanding, surround our community, the family and friends of Baby Hope with your love, that they may not be overwhelmed by this loss, but have confidence in your goodness and strength to meet the days to come," Hoehn said. "Eternal rest grant unto her."
Hoehn sprinkled holy water on the casket, and Villarreal said a prayer in Spanish. Officers then lined up and one by one, placed roses next to Baby Hope's casket, each pausing for a moment to take in the solemn sight. Community members came up to her as well, kneeling in prayer next to her, holding the casket for a moment and making the sign of the cross.
"I needed to just come and support Baby Hope and make sure she had moms here," said Jenna Commons, a Wheaton mother of two.
Another mother, Jenae Cicero, came from Sugar Grove to witness the burial.
"I wanted to make sure," she said, her voice cracking, "that she was surrounded by nothing but love."
After the casket was placed into the ground, the priests each took a turn gently tossing a handful of dirt in the grave. Villarreal blew the baby a kiss. Mourners followed in suit again, letting the dirt gently fall out of their hands.
Investigators are still searching for Baby Hope's mother. The DuPage County sheriff's office is offering a $5,000 reward for anyone who provides information that helps identify or locate the mother. Anyone with information should contact the sheriff's office at (630) 407-2400 or text anonymously at 274637 with the word SHERIFF and a message.
Parents in crisis can legally relinquish their baby, up to 30 days old, at a safe haven. Unharmed babies can be handed to staff members at any fire station, police station, hospital, emergency services facility or college or university police station statewide. For information, call (888) 510-BABY (2229) or visit www.saveabandonedbabies.org.