How One Woman Found the Light in the Darkness: GIVEN Alumna Riley Hachten

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” – John 1:5

When meditating upon Michelangelo’s famous statue in St. Peter’s Basilica, you’ll notice Mary’s maternal heart in complete sorrow. Upon further contemplation, Italian Dominican friar and Archbishop of Florence, St. Antoninus, said:

“The sight of her son’s torments brought more grief to her heart if she had endured them all in her own person… she consummated her martyrdom by sacrificing the life of her son, a life which she loved far more than her own, and which caused her to endure a torment which exceeded all other torments ever endured by a mortal on earth.”

GIVEN alumna Riley Hachten faced the unimaginable as a mother, but her faith transformed that grief into Auggie’s Lighthouse, a project that aims to support families grieving the loss of a child. Riley took her pain from the loss of her own child, and with the help of the GIVEN Institute,  her GIVEN mentor, and those close to her, turned it into a non-profit organization that is making an impact for grieving families in Louisville, KY and the rest of the United States. 

In January 2022, Riley and her husband Ben suffered the unexpected loss of their eight-month- old son, Augustine “Auggie”. Riley describes the experience:

“The grief of losing a child cannot be explained unless you have lived it. It completely changes your world and you become part of the club no one wants to join.”

After the initial shock, the grieving couple began to think of how they could honor their son’s short life. She reflected that, “within months of his passing, we knew that we wanted to start something to keep his memory alive but in the midst of our grief we knew the timing was not right.”

Two years later, Riley found herself at the 2024 GIVEN Leadership Forum. Riley originally intended to start a homeschool co-op for her GIVEN Action Plan, but after working and praying with her GIVEN Mentor, Therese Brown, she discerned that the way she could both exercise her Catholic faith and honor Auggie was to support grieving families. Reflecting on the development of her Action Plan: 

“While I love to teach, my desire to help families in the midst of their grief was where my heart found peace. Auggie’s Lighthouse was prayed over and discussed with [Therese] and her support of our mission gave me the courage to open our grieving hearts to others who have experienced the tragedy of losing a child.”

Riley also described the broader Forum as fertile ground to bring her idea that would become Auggie’s Lighthouse into reality as she describes:

“The GIVEN forum was such a beautiful experience. I absolutely loved being surrounded by so many women who love the Lord and are trying to share that love with others. I was pushed out of my comfort zone, invited into beautiful moments of prayer with the Lord, and had many moments of peace within my heart. I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to attend the GIVEN forum.”

In addition to her experience at GIVEN and the support of her mentor, Riley has looked to those closest to her to build Auggie’s Lighthouse. People who helped Riley in her own grief journey still support her mission as, “being a prayer team for every family we support through Auggie’s Lighthouse.” Riley also follows the example of her mom in remaining steadfast in prayer and faith through life’s sorrows. She explains, “My mom has faced many hardships in her life and it is beautiful to see her trust in the Lord through it all.”

Auggie’s Lighthouse has delivered more than twenty care packages, covered the funeral expenses for three families, and team members even attended the burial of a stillborn child left unclaimed at a hospital.

Although Riley admits that she would prefer that this service did not have to serve such a cause, she recognizes the essential nature of such work, “While I wish that our work did not need to exist, it provides me peace knowing that we can help others in the midst of their grief like we were.”

In the midst of personal tragedy, the GIVEN Institute provided Riley with an opportunity to honor Auggie’s legacy and help others in similar circumstances:

“Losing a child is a wound that my heart will always carry, but Auggie’s Lighthouse has brought some meaning to the loss and given us an opportunity to share our story with others so that he isn’t forgotten.”

Aside from Auggie’s Lighthouse, Riley stays busy raising her three living children and adapting her spiritual life to the busyness of motherhood. Between visits to the nearby zoo and parks and going on family walks, she squeezes in the day’s gospel reading and a decade of the Rosary. She also enjoys expressing her creative side with crocheting baby blankets.

You can learn more about and support Auggie’s Lighthouse here. Please pray for Riley, her work at Auggie’s Lighthouse, and the families who benefit from their care.