Lily of the Valley Ministry: Making Christ’s Love Visible in Grief

Taryn DeLong introduces a Catholic apostolate that serves families facing infertility, prenatal diagnosis, pregnancy loss, and infant loss.  

As a woman with more than one chronic condition that can cause infertility and pregnancy loss, I never take my daughters for granted. One of the ways I thank God for them is by volunteering with an apostolate called Lily of the Valley Ministry, which is based out of my hometown of Raleigh.

Lily of the Valley sends free prayer care packages to families experiencing infertility, prenatal diagnosis, pregnancy loss, and infant loss. They are blessed with essential oils and include items that touch all five senses, such as tea, a handwritten note, sacramentals, and personalized keepsakes. Volunteers pray together virtually once each month. We also share prayer requests in a GroupMe.

Lily of the Valley also provides grief support materials to families who have experienced a stillbirth or infant loss, works with parishes to support families, and hosts an annual retreat for Catholic women in any walk of life. I serve as a prayer ambassador and am also on this year’s retreat committee.

Whitney Whitmore is the founder of Lily of the Valley. She and her husband have four boys, one of whom had a chromosome deletion and passed away at 34 weeks' gestation. Her experience with this son led her to create Lily of the Valley.

Honoring a Saintly Mother

Saint Gianna Molla was an Italian wife, mother, and pediatrician who lived in the early 20th century. Lily of the Valley is devoted to her because of her difficult pregnancies and losses. Gianna was pregnant six times, and during each pregnancy she experienced hyperemesis gravis and other problems. She was hospitalized during her third pregnancy and lost the next two babies through miscarriage.

Before becoming pregnant a sixth time, she decided if she had another child, she would give up her medical practice to better juggle family life with her husband’s engineering career. During that pregnancy, she was diagnosed with a fibroma (non-cancerous tumor) in her uterus. She had a few treatment options.

One was to have an abortion and remove the fibroid. This option would have the lowest risk for her but would, of course, kill her child. The second was to have the fibroma removed but save the baby’s life. This option would be the riskiest for Gianna’s health. The third option was to have a hysterectomy while trying to save the baby’s life after removing the uterus.

Gianna decided for option 2 and told her doctors and husband that if they had the choice between saving her life and her baby’s life, they should save the baby’s. At the end of her pregnancy, she had a healthy baby via Cesarean section, but Gianna died soon afterward due to an infection in the lining of her abdomen.

Due to her losses, her extremely challenging pregnancies, and her heroic protection of her youngest baby, Saint Gianna is the perfect patron of Lily of the Valley Ministry. Her influence is shown in various ways in the ministry’s brand and offerings, including the fact that our virtual prayer sessions are held on the 28th of each month, in honor of her feast day, which is April 28.

Giving Your Fiat

When I joined Lily of the Valley as a prayer ambassador, I received a gift box, which included a bracelet that says “fiat.” It is a beautiful reminder of my own personal mission, which is, like Mary, to submit to God as His handmaid. “Let it be done unto me according to Your Word” is my motto — or at least, I try!

“My journey through ad difficult pregnancy and subsequent baby loss at 34 weeks gestation taught me a lot about ‘uniformity with God’s will,’” says Whitney. “I leaned on Mary and began to understand what it truly meant to give your ‘fiat’ or ‘yes’ to God which, ultimately, led to my conversion to Catholicism. God placed on my heart a desire to pray for and support others in their faith when they are given the heavy cross as a parent of prenatal diagnosis and/or child loss.” The ministry also serves women and couples experiencing infertility.

“What started as a small local ministry at our home parish has grown into a nationwide ministry that prayerfully supports other families walking through similar circumstances.”

My friend Alexandra Davis is also a Lily of the Valley prayer ambassador, and she’s experienced firsthand the power of this prayer network. "This ministry was a tremendous comfort to me throughout a high-risk pregnancy,” she told me. “Before appointments and procedures the entire community of prayer ambassadors would pray for me and my unborn daughter, which was one of the greatest gifts I could’ve received in a time that felt heavy and scary.”

It’s not just women experiencing loss, diagnoses, and infertility, though. Every year, Lily of the Valley hosts a retreat for any Catholic woman seeking to encounter Christ and discover the beauty He is cultivating in their lives. I’m privileged to serve on the retreat committee this year and am looking forward to a beautiful day of art, fellowship, and prayer — plus adoration and confession! Will you join us?

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Copyright 2026 Taryn DeLong
Images: Canva