Duluth Angel Of Hope Vigil Helps Parents Of Deceased Children Grieve

DULUTH, Minn. – Parents who have lost children gathered together by candle light in Duluth Friday evening.

Duluth’s Angel of Hope statue in Leif Erickson Park is one of more than 100 identical statues that echo back to a book called “The Christmas Box.”

In the book, an elderly woman visits her young daughter’s grave, adorned with an Angel Statue.

Each year on Dec. 6, parents of deceased children gather at Angel statues across the country.

The statues first began popping up in 1994, serving as a place for parents of deceased children can gather, remember, and grieve.

One of the mothers who helped get Duluth its statue 11 years ago, said she’s done a lot in memory of her son, but there’s something truly unique in honoring him surrounded by those who know your struggle.

“I think that there’s something very powerful about looking at all the names in the brick, and realizing that many of us have had this tragedy happen in our lives. And, And I think she’s just a place of peace that people can come and sit,” mother Debbie Davis said. “And, some people don’t have a, a place that their child was buried or, you know, any place to go. So this is a place that people can go. And I know sometimes parents meet other parents down here and they start talking and supporting each other. And I’ve just heard through, our Facebook page that people are like, have come down here and connected with other people. And it just was such a nice.”

You can reach out to the group of families through the Duluth Angel of Hope Facebook page.