When Suzanne Sam de St. Jean’s son, Michael, died in a motorcycle accident in 2012, she and her husband, Glenn, turned to their local church for solace. They soon found a place and community that brought them needed relief.
Angel of Hope is a statue at Santa Maria Cemetery that serves as a tribute to the memory of lost children. It’s the 70th statue in a series of Angel of Hope statues around the country, inspired by The Christmas Box Angel, a book by Richard Paul Evans.
Bereaved parents can order an engraved brick to be placed at the base of the statue in memory of their child.
Suzanne and Glenn took over operating Angel of Hope after placing Michael’s brick in 2012. Lori and Danny Macagni ran it previously; the Macagni’s raised the $15,000 to bring the Angel statue to Santa Maria in 2006.
“This has brought us so much joy,” Sam de St. Jean said. “We’ve met the nicest people.”
The Angel of Hope annual memorial service is coming up on Dec. 5 at 1 p.m. at the Santa Maria cemetery. The statue is in the newer section of the cemetery, near the corner of College Drive and Battles Road.
“It’s a short and intimate service,” Sam de St. Jean said. “There’s an opening prayer, we provide a brief history of Angel of Hope. It’s followed with placing white carnations, and we also give out a memorial booklet.”
Sam de St. Jean takes calls throughout the year to order new bricks, and the grieving family can hold a sacred ceremony to place it beneath the Angel of Hope.
Angel of Hope has provided a comforting and loving community for the families who participate. Their shared experience of losing a child allows for a special connection.
“They talk to each other; they’ve been through it together—these families have really become a community together,” Sam de St. Jean said. “We’ve made such great friends with these families.”
To learn more about Angel of Hope and how to participate, contact Suzanne Sam de St. Jean at 868-4855.
This article appears in Nov 19-26, 2015.
