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FLUSHING — Domenica Petruso visits Mount St. Mary Cemetery as often as she can to say a prayer and place flowers on her mother-in-law’s grave, as well as to “remember all of the souls of our loved ones that are gone.”
Petruso, a parishioner of St. Anastasia Church in Douglaston, was one of 150 parishioners who visited the cemetery on Nov. 2 for the diocese’s annual All Souls’ Day field Mass, celebrated by Bishop Robert Brennan.
Coming one day after All Saints’ Day, All Souls’ Day is a time for the faithful to remember and pray for the souls of the deceased. By tradition, Bishop Brennan celebrates the All Souls’ Day Mass at a cemetery.
Before Mass, Petruso spoke about what the day means for those grieving the loss of loved ones.
“People sometimes have doubts about whether their deceased loved ones are truly at peace,” she told The Tablet. “So, I hope to hear a message of hope, and that there is hope for us, too, no matter what we go through.”
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Hope was indeed a central theme of Bishop Brennan’s homily. Pointing to Psalm 23, in which the faithful declare, “The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want,” he noted how it reflects the hope that God is with us all the time.
“It is a sign of our hope … not a hope that’s wishful thinking, but a hope that is well grounded,” he explained. “We don’t see journeys that are easy or without pain or sorrow. The very fact that we are here today is a recognition that we have experienced sorrow and grief along the way. But we look to the Lord who has been our shepherd.
Msgr. Michael Reid, CEO and moderator of Catholic Cemeteries of Brooklyn and Queens, the official network of sacred, consecrated cemeteries serving families in the diocese, called the faithful’s presence at Mass “a statement of faith, a statement of belief, a statement of love.”
Catholic Cemeteries of Brooklyn and Queens operates four cemeteries — Mount St. Mary, St. John in Middle Village, Holy Cross in East Flatbush, and St. Charles/Resurrection in Farmingdale, Long Island — which are owned by the St. John’s Cemetery Corporation.
After Mass, Bishop Brennan told The Tablet that the All Souls’ Day Mass also provided an opportunity for the faithful to come together as a community and find solace amid loss.
“Grief is a part of life,” he said. “The only reason we grieve is because we love. And when we share that grief with one another, we deepen those bonds of faith, hope, and love.”