MEMORIAL TO UNBORN OFFERS FAITHFUL SOLACE.

Byline: Mary Schubert Daily News Staff Writer

Despite the Catholic Church's official stance against abortion, there are a growing number of places where members of the flock who have terminated pregnancies can pray and seek solace.

One such site is at St. Clare's Catholic Church, where on Saturday the parish dedicated its memorial to the unborn. The congregation's Knights of Columbus chapter raised money and donated labor and materials for the statue and the grotto that surrounds it.

The statue, hand-carved in Carrara marble by Italian craftsmen, depicts the Virgin Mary holding a crown of thorns against her chest, a portrayal known within the church as Our Lady of Sorrows. The pose is meant to illustrate Mary's grief while Jesus Christ was being crucified.

Knights of Columbus members wanted their memorial to draw a parallel between Mary mourning her son's death and the sorrow of women who regret having an abortion, said Tony Malfitano, a member of the chapter at St. Clare's.

The Knights hope the outdoor grotto and statue, with two concrete benches for visitors, will be a place for reflection and perhaps for penance and redemption.

Malfitano said the chapter scheduled the dedication ceremony to coincide with the Assumption, the holy day that celebrates the Virgin Mary.

Along with the memorial at St. Clare's, a parish of 5,700 families, there also are shrines at St. Peter Claver Catholic Church in Simi Valley and at San Fernando Mission Cemetery.

The Knights of Columbus, an international organization of Catholic men, count 180 members at St. Clare's. Like the Catholic Church itself, the Knights are pro-life, and Malfitano said the group wanted to artistically express that stance.

An official with the Archdiocese of Los Angeles said memorials to the unborn are a growing trend, intended to offer a place for prayer and consolation to people suffering from ``post-abortion syndrome,'' along with miscarriages and stillbirths. Women who go through abortion often need to bring closure to the event and come to terms with the death, church officials said.

The Knights built a 16-foot-wide, 12-foot-tall grotto of Louisiana ledgestone, with a shallow, cobalt blue-tiled reflecting pool, all of which is illuminated in blue light during the night, Malfitano said. The 5-foot-3-inch statue sits on a black stone base.

The Knights paid $7,500 for the one-ton marble statue, which shows Mary in a flowing robe with a shawl on her head, Malfitano said. The chapter and parish raised money by holding spaghetti dinners, country western dances, pancake breakfasts and a New Year's Eve party, he said.

Since the statue was installed in June, it has drawn parishioners' attention to that edge of the church parking lot. ``After every Mass, people go over to it,'' Malfitano said. ``It's a good thing for healing, and that's what we wanted.''

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Photo: Knights of Columbus members sit by the memorial to the unborn they built at St. Clare's church.

Terri Thuente/Daily News