Henrietta’s Prayer

Imagine a young woman in 1927, unmarried and pregnant by the man she loves and who loves her. The couple hide their relationship knowing the Church forbids their affair and bars them from marriage. The young woman can’t conceal her pregnancy much longer but wants to protect the identity of the father who will be ruined if he is discovered. Fear and guilt grip her soul. On May 27,1927 she writes this prayer pouring out her heart. Seven and half months later, their child, my mother, is born. The prayer below, written in Henrietta’s own hand, was found among her memorabilia after her death.