Portrait of a Graduate
Maria (Sparacino ’95) Twigg
University of Maryland - College Park
After graduating as valedictorian of the Class of 1995, Maria (Sparacino ’95) Twigg attended the University of Maryland College Park, receiving her bachelors in Psychology magna cum laude. She credits her excellent education at Oakcrest with now being able to homeschool her children, saying that while at Oakcrest, she was formed in her love of “good books, my faith, and the Truth.”
While at Oakcrest from 7th-12th grade, Maria was a member of the basketball team, as well as the National Honor Society, the Service Club, and Student Council. She enjoyed performing in the Oakcrest variety shows and singing in the chorus.
Since her days at Oakcrest in the early 90’s, Maria has been an advocate for life as a member of the Respect Life Club and attending the annual March for Life with her family and classmates.
Below, she shares her own story:
In January 2022, I became pregnant with our 8th child. At that time, I had 5 living children and 2 children who had died beneath my heart. To say we were overjoyed at the prospect of growing our family would be an understatement. The child in my womb was an answer to prayers uttered aloud and in the silence of each of our hearts for several years. At my 13 week sonogram, I learned that there were “significant concerns” about my baby; namely, the detection of markers indicative of a genetic disorder deemed “incompatible with life.” I went from blissfully entering the doctor’s office and joyfully seeing my baby on the sonogram, to sitting before a genetic counselor defending my baby’s right to life. I was consistently reminded of how difficult it would be to carry this child, how unlikely it would be to have another child with the same condition should I choose to end this pregnancy, and encouraged to have an amniocentesis to confirm the diagnosis so I could make an informed decision. In that moment, I was calm, filled with the Holy Spirit and wrapped in the arms of our Lady. Although my husband was not present at the appointment with me, we had agreed to lovingly accept children from God and had remained open to life throughout our marriage. Thus, I was able to clearly and confidently express our desire to continue with the pregnancy regardless of the diagnosis, respectfully decline any invasive diagnostic tools, and vow to love our child for as long as he or she would be with us. I thereafter agreed to continue to show up for my sonograms, refused any further meetings with the genetic counselor, and, in time, I believe I earned the respect of the doctors and technicians who needed to witness a mother’s unwavering love for her unborn child with a fatal prenatal diagnosis.
In May 2022, amidst the backdrop of the leak of the Supreme Court’s draft overturning Roe v. Wade, it was confirmed through a blood test and subsequent sonograms that our baby had Trisomy 13. After the diagnosis, we began to pray for a miraculous healing through the intercession of Blessed Michael McGivney, the founder of the Knights of Columbus and the first American parish priest to be beatified after healing a baby in utero. As my prayer warriors spread this intention locally and even as far as Fatima and Medjugorje, I entrusted myself to our Lady (who knows better the loss of a child than she), encountered the saints (they just kept finding me), emptied myself completely (how else can one be filled), and entered into the silence where I could hear our Lord.
Overall, my pregnancy was very healthy. I felt great and my belly was growing. It was as if my body did not know what my heart knew to be true – that this child I loved so dearly could not live outside my womb. I felt the baby’s movement early in the pregnancy and savored each moment with my baby. I became a witness to my children, who walked with me every step of the way. I fluctuated between feeling lifted in prayer and being crushed under the weight of the cross. Yet, as I walked toward Calvary, I found God everywhere, in strangers and loved ones alike, who comforted me in both words and actions. There were constant reminders that God was with me, and that I was not alone.
Just shy of what would turn out to be my last sonogram, a relative who is a mother and an OBGYN advised me to pray for beauty. I had been praying for grace, strength and courage but it had never occurred to me to pray for beauty. Nevertheless, I incorporated that request into my prayers. A few short days later, on the feast of St. Anthony, unable to detect a heartbeat at my 22-week sonogram, I learned that my little boy, Luke Anthony, had gone to be with his Heavenly Father. It was almost as if in an instant, my whole birth plan changed. I learned that my doctor and hospital, who were willing to deliver a baby to die in my arms, were not prepared or equipped to deliver a child that was already deceased. I was left to process the news of my son’s death while simultaneously trying to locate a hospital and doctor who recognized the value of this human life and could preserve the dignity of his body by allowing me to deliver him without a D&C. Jesus, I surrender it all to you, take care of everything….and He did. The doctor who advised me to pray for beauty offered to deliver my son. The priest who encouraged me to have a priest at the hospital to baptize my child at birth came to the hospital to bless my son upon his death.
Although Luke Anthony was not miraculously healed, I believe that Blessed Michael McGivney interceded on my behalf by providing the parish priests and the Knights of Columbus. We were able to give Luke Anthony a Catholic funeral concelebrated by several priests. On the altar, next to my son’s coffin, was a floral arrangement from my alma mater, Oakcrest School. The Knights of Columbus provided the coffin for him. Luke Anthony is buried at Gate of Heaven cemetery, alongside his siblings and cousins, in a special section dedicated for babies who died in utero beneath their mother’s hearts.
The day after Luke Anthony was buried, Roe v. Wade was overturned. There are no coincidences. I am grateful for my Catholic faith, my family upbringing, and my Catholic education. I participated in the pro-life club throughout my years at Oakcrest and attended the March for Life every year with my family and classmates. When I learned of Luke’s diagnosis, only one road lay before me. In reflecting on what advice I would give Oakcrest seniors preparing to graduate and go out into the world, I cannot help but recall my valedictorian address to my 16 fellow seniors, where I likened our Oakcrest journey to Robert Frost’s “Road Not Taken”. Now more than ever, this world needs women who are willing to take the road “less traveled by”, embrace their womanhood, stand up for their faith, pursue the truth, defend life at all stages especially the unborn and the elderly, protect the family, and lead others to Christ through their example and witness. The truth is and always was – it does not change.
The great lie of abortion is that it tells a woman that killing her baby will not be painful, which can never be true; rather, it denies a mother the opportunity to find beauty in the sorrow. Holding my son was the most beautiful sorrow I have experienced in my life. Mother Theresa said, “Pain and suffering have come into your life, but remember pain, sorrow, suffering are but the kiss of Jesus - a sign that you have come so close to Him that He can kiss you.” Jesus kissed me in that hospital room and I encountered Him through my son, Luke Anthony.
God gives us the grace to follow him and do his will. Sorrow and suffering bring us closer to our Lord and, if carried with love, the cross will lead us to Heaven. I am grateful to not only share the story of my cross but to also convey the beauty that was found in the midst and aftermath of incredible suffering. Although the cross itself was heavy, the path of the cross was clear and paved with signs that Jesus was with me, Mary was guiding me, and the saints were walking alongside me. In carrying the cross, I did not feel abandoned or alone, rather I felt chosen by God to do His will and beloved by Him for doing so.
1619 Crowell Road, Vienna, VA 22182
703-790-5450
703-790-5450
