Queen's Servant: Funeral Vigil for Baby Pia Merced Lorica

Photo credit: Marissa Niles

Tove Ann's Eulogy for Baby Pia Merced Lorica

(followed by Tove Ann's a cappella of Kari Jobe's "I Am Not Alone" @ 13:31)

________________________________________

AMDG

Eulogy for Baby Pia Merced Lorica (d. April 29, 2015)

By Tove Ann Catubig Purificacion

May 7, 2015

[reprinted with permission]

A Celebration of the Gift & Life of Pia Merced Lorica: Stories of Remembrance

Good evening. I’m Tove Ann Catubig Purificacion, a long-time family friend of both Edward & Stacey Lorica, and the proud Ninang of Linus. I stand here before you all this evening at the request of Ward and Stacey to say a few words. I’m thankful for this opportunity to share how Pia Merced’s short life here on earth has touched so many lives, including my family’s lives as well as my own.

My family had the great privilege to share some of the pregnancy journey with her parents and Linus the past five months or so. From the time we first discovered they were pregnant with Pia to the day we discovered her heart was no longer beating, we have had the priceless opportunity to share their indescribable joys and some of the most painful sufferings of pregnancy and parenthood.

I hope to share in a few moments how the gift and life of Pia Merced testified to great love:

Pia Merced’s life was a witness to 1) the happiness found in being open to life, 2) the necessity of the Cross and the possibility of bearing it patiently with Jesus Christ, 3) the value and virtue of religious piety, 4) the greatest attribute of God: Divine Mercy, 5) the unsurpassable joy that only God can give, 6) the power found in hope, 7) and the fruit of peacefulness and 8) total resignation to God’s most holy will.

Pia Merced’s life testified to the happiness found in being OPEN TO LIFE. I still remember when we learned that Stacey was pregnant. We were on a family playdate at one of our nearby parks and everyone was there, except Stacey, who was sleeping or not feeling well. And as we were departing, Ward asked to take a photo of us with Linus. As he got ready to take the photo, he surprisingly announced, “Stacey’s pregnant!” We were so thrilled for them, that their family was growing and that Linus was going to have a sibling. That picture and others like it are worth a thousand words.

Pia Merced’s life testified to the necessity of EMBRACING OUR CROSSES & the possibility of BEARING THEM PATIENTLY with Jesus Christ. During the Lenten Season, Stacey & Ward shared how Pia had a high probability of having birth defects. Ward and Stacey remained faithful throughout the entire pregnancy, choosing life no matter what. It was a beautiful testament to their faith in God and in the sanctity of human life, from conception until natural death.

Pia Merced’s life testified to the value and virtue of religious PIETY. We joined Ward & Stacey in their prayers and offered Mass for Pia’s healing. At their request, my husband, Deacon Dennis celebrated the “Rite for the Blessing of a Child in the Womb” at one of the earlier Lenten Breaking Bread Gatherings, where a bunch of young adult married couples and their children would get together to read the upcoming Sunday’s readings, discuss them, and have fellowship. We soon discovered that Ward and Stacey chose the name, “Pia,” which is of Latin origin and which means “pious, reverent” (ThinkBabyNames.com). It was chosen and shared with us at the last Breaking Bread event, the Thursday before Palm Sunday. On that same day, we discovered more sad news about Pia’s condition and were reminded of Our Blessed Mother’s great suffering as she saw her Son suffer and die for all of us on the Cross. The Cross seemed to get heavier and heavier, and yet by the grace of God, Stacey & Ward remained joyful, faithful, & strong in their faith. Even in the midst of all the suffering, they still managed to smile and joke around. I remember how Stacey tried to convince Ward to also name Pia Rosario, after Our Lady of the Rosary, but Ward wasn’t convinced. I tried to persuade him, too, but it didn’t work. ;)

Pia Merced’s life testified to God’s greatest attribute: DIVINE MERCY. Due to sickness, my family and I missed our scheduled family date with the Lorica’s, which was supposed to be on Divine Mercy Sunday. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise; however, because Ward’s and Stacey’s family were then able to make a pilgrimage to the Shrine of St. Jude at St. Dominic’s Church in SF, on Divine Mercy Sunday, and attend Mass there as a family.

It was soon after that, at another park playdate, when Ward & Stacey told us how they were now just waiting for Pia to stop moving. That news was difficult for us to hear.

We had learned that they had chosen “Merced,” which is of Spanish origin, and which means “mercy,” for Pia’s second name. Ward said something like, “the signs were pointing to mercy.” We thought it was so perfect & providential. As a little baby in the womb, Pia Merced shared in Jesus’ sufferings on the Cross, in His desire to shower the world with His Divine Mercy. And because of Pia Merced’s situation, her parents, and all who knew her, were called to rely on God’s Divine Mercy in the midst of their own sufferings.

Pia Merced’s life testified to JOY IN THE MIDST OF GREAT SUFFERING. At another park playdate, Ward & Stacey brought Linus to fly a kite. It was then that Linus learned to say my son John Paul’s name for the first time. When we met with Ward & Stacey, we had introduced them to some new people. At the time, we also shared how they were pregnant. One thing I observed on our many park playdates was that Ward & Stacey always managed to smile and think of others in the midst of their hurt.

Pia Merced’s life testified to the theological virtue of HOPE. The following week, by Divine Providence, our family saw them at the doctor’s office, and we were finally able to go out to eat for a family dinner date. We had been trying to make this happen for a number of years now, and fortunately, we finally made it happen. During the dinner, we discussed the possibilities of asking for a miracle through specific blesseds’ intercessions, for Pia’s health and survival. The Lorica’s chose Blesseds Zelie & Louie Martin, the parents of St. Therese, to intercede on our behalf for Pia Merced’s life. We were hoping against all hope.

Pia Merced’s life testified to the fruit of PEACEFULNESS & total RESIGNATION TO GOD’S MOST HOLY WILL. While Pia Merced did not miraculously get healed and survive after we began praying the prayer for Blesseds Zelie and Louis Martin, we were confident that God was going to do something greater with the situation. He was not going to lose any ounce of suffering; every drop of it was going to be for His greater glory and for the salvation of souls. We trusted that if God did not will to heal Pia Merced through the intercession of Blesseds Zelie and Louis Martin, that it was because He had something greater in store for Pia and Ward and Stacey’s family.

The following day, we discovered that Pia Merced’s heart could not be detected anymore. Thus, we visited them in their home to briefly be with them before heading to daily Mass to pray for her and the family. In that most difficult moment, we witnessed Ward & Stacey exude a peacefulness and resignation to God’s plan for Pia Merced, which were both graces in and of themselves.

To close, my family and I will remember Pia Merced and her parents’ testimony of enduring love: their faithful witness to life, of patience in the midst of great suffering, of religious piety, of mercy, joy, hope, peacefulness, and resignation to God’s most holy will. Thank you, Baby Pia Merced, for sharing your beautiful life with us, for touching our hearts, and reminding us of what matters most in life: God, the sacredness of human life, love, family, and the fact that we should never take for granted the moments we have with one another. Your mission on earth has been fulfilled. May we keep your memory alive in our hearts, Pia Merced, as we, too, seek to be a witness!

As a tribute to Pia Merced Lorica, whom I believe would want us to turn to Christ during this heartbreaking time, I dedicate this song, “I am not alone,” by Kari Jobe. I especially dedicate it to her parents, Ward & Stacey, and her Kuya Linus. I had come across this song on the radio just yesterday as I was praying about what to say during this eulogy. It moved my heart so deeply as I listened to it that I felt as if it was a song Pia Merced would want her parents’ hearts to sing and make their own… to comfort them, strengthen them, console them,… to remind them that Jesus goes before them, that He will never leave them, especially in their greatest sorrows…

___________________________

I Am Not Alone by Kari Jobe

“I Am Not Alone” by Kari Jobe

When I walk through deep waters
I know that You will be with me
When I'm standing in the fire
I will not be overcome
Through the valley of the shadow
I will not fear

Chorus: