Butterfly Release Ceremony set for May 22

HSHS Hospice invites community members to join them for a butterfly release ceremony at HSHS St. Francis Hospital on Wednesday, May 22 at 5:30 p.m. in the Circle Drive by the St. Francis statue. 

Valerie Engelbart, Bereavement Services Supervisor for HSHS Hospice, shared, “This butterfly release ceremony provides a special time for families in our community to honor their loved ones. The butterfly represents the transformation of the spirit as our loved ones transition from this life.”

Family and friends are invited to celebrate and remember the life of a loved one who has passed. The ceremony will include the reading of the names of those being honored in addition to the butterfly release. 

If you would like to participate in the ceremony, please RSVP to Valerie Engelbart, Bereavement Services Supervisor, at 217-685-0702 or email Valerie.engelbart@hshs.org. Butterflies will be released for all those honored, but you are invited to personally release a butterfly for your loved one by reserving a butterfly for $15 to be paid prior to the ceremony.

You may also reserve a butterfly online by here and paying by credit or debit card. In the online form, select “Butterfly Release/Hospice Program” under the Designation section and select “This gift is in honor, memory or support of someone” under the Tribute Gift section and fill in the name of your loved one.