SCRANTON – Many people in the community may not know that located near the entrance of Cathedral Cemetery in West Scranton is a quiet, sacred space dedicated to the unborn.
Due to the efforts of the Knights of Columbus Council 12572, that space is now more visible and welcoming to the public.
On Saturday, June 14, 2025, the Knights of Columbus held a special dedication ceremony for a newly installed three-foot plaque at the Tomb of the Unborn, inviting the public to recognize the peaceful spot as a place of prayer, reflection, and healing.
“As people drive by seeing the plaque, knowing it’s the Tomb of the Unborn, they can offer a prayer quickly, or if they want to stop and kneel here at the foot of the monument, they can do so,” Master Brian Hallock, Knights of Columbus Pennsylvania Central District, said.
John Scandale, Knights of Columbus District Deputy, said prior to the plaque being installed there was only a small name plate at the top of the monument that often went overlooked.
“It got very little notice. People generally don’t look up, so it got missed,” Scandale explained. “We thought this needed identification.”
Through the generosity of Monuments by Parise, a company based in Lackawanna County’s Up Valley, the plaque was donated and installed.
“They did an excellent job,” Patrick Williams, one of the project organizers explained.
Williams said the Tomb of the Unborn was also power washed, and new shrubbery was planted around its base, including two new rose bushes.
“We’re working with J&L Construction on replacing some of the stone and pointing the joints of the monument because they’re starting to leak a little bit,” Williams added.
The work is very meaningful for Theresa Baux who visits the site regularly.
“I’ve come here for years and years, being a post-aborted woman,” Baux explained. “I would always come here and pray because I didn’t have a monument for my own child. I would just come here and pray.”
Baux now works with other women who have had abortions and provides information and resources to pregnant women hoping they choose life.
“The unborn that are killed in the womb in this day and age is a terrible tragedy,” Baux stated.
Father Michael Boris, assistant pastor, Our Lady of the Snows Parish, Clarks Summit, and Saint Gregory Parish, Clarks Green, attended the dedication ceremony and provided a blessing.
Located just to the first left as you enter Cathedral Cemetery on Oram Street, the new plaque at the Tomb of the Unborn now stands not only as a memorial, but also as a reminder of the Knights’ ongoing mission to support life and family in all stages.
“We’re trying to build up our activities, get more members and do more work in the community,” Scandale ended by saying.