Our two annual gatherings

A year held by two quiet moments.

An autumn walk on the first Saturday of October. A candlelit ceremony on the evening of December 6. Two times each year we gather at the statue, read the names, and remember together.

What we hold each year

Two gatherings, open to anyone who has lost a child.

Springfield Angel of Hope holds two community gatherings each year at the Angel of Hope statue in Washington Park Botanical Garden. Both are free and open to all bereaved families — whether your loss was last month or thirty years ago, whether your child's name is on the Memorial Wall or not.

The Walk to Remember takes place outdoors in early October, during National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month. The Candlelight Remembrance Ceremony is held the evening of December 6, rain or shine, as it has been every year since the statue was dedicated in 2008.

Programs

Choose a gathering

Flock of birds in flight against an autumn sky

A Walk to Remember

First Saturday of October. An outdoor gathering during National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, with proceeds shared with St. John's SHARE and Memorial's Pastoral Care.

Walk details
A quiet candlelit interior in soft evening light

Candlelight Remembrance Ceremony

December 6, 7 p.m., rain or shine. A candlelit reading of names at the statue, continuing a tradition held every year since 2008.

Ceremony details
The rhythm of the year

October light, December candles.

For families in central Illinois, these two evenings carry a great deal. The first Saturday of October arrives with the leaves still turning — a daylight walk, a shared meal, names spoken aloud in the open air. Two months later, on a darker evening, the same community returns to the same garden with candles.

Both gatherings happen at the Angel of Hope statue inside Washington Park Botanical Garden, on land made possible through a partnership with the City of Springfield and built with the help of OPCMIA Local 18. The Memorial Wall behind the statue now carries more than 1,000 area children's names — every one of them part of why we keep returning.

Botanical illustration in muted autumn tones
If you'd like to be here

You are welcome at either gathering.

There is no registration required to attend, and no cost. If you'd like to be notified when dates and details for the next Walk or Ceremony are confirmed, please reach out and we'll add you to our list.

Get in touch

Break the silence.
Nurture healing.
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