Despite forecast for rain, hundreds gathered May 30 under a large white tent on the grounds of Mount St. Mary Cemetery, Flushing, to honor service men and women at an annual Memorial Day Field Mass.

Auxiliary Bishop Paul Sanchez was the main celebrant. He stressed that having a Field Mass in that holy place was a way to give tribute to and pray for “those who gave their lives for our freedoms” and that it was a time to honor the memory and cherish the lives of those who have passed away.

“May this Memorial Day be a day of gratitude for all those who are part of our lives and those who sacrificed their lives for our country,” he said.

Hosted annually by the diocesan Catholic Cemeteries Office, Field Masses were celebrated by the diocese’s bishops at several cemeteries that morning, including St. John Cemetery, Middle Village; Holy Cross Cemetery, Flatbush; St. Mary Star of the Sea Cemetery, Lawrence, L.I.; and St. Charles/Resurrection Cemeteries, Farmingdale L.I.

Memorial Day Masses were also celebrated at Most Holy Trinity Church, Williamsburg; and the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph, Prospect Heights. Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio celebrated a Memorial Day Mass at the Cathedral-Basilica of St. James, Downtown Brooklyn.

At the cemeteries, the U.S. flag was flown at half-mast until noon to recognize those who died in battle. Then it was raised to full mast for the rest of the day “as a symbol for the living and our nation’s resolve not to let their sacrifice be in vain,” stated a Memorial Day brochure handed out at Mount St. Mary Cemetery.

Established in 1862 during the Civil War, Mount St. Mary’s was consecrated by Bishop John Loughlin, Brooklyn’s first bishop. Some of the people buried in the cemetery include Congressman James A. Roe, a World War II Army Colonel; other political figures like Ellen McCormack and Matthew Joseph Merritt; as well as musicians from the New York Dolls.

Also among the internments at Mount St. Mary Cemetery is Bishop Edmund Reilly, who was auxiliary bishop of Brooklyn from 1955 to 1958, and the first three leaders of the Sisters of St. Joseph in the diocese: Mother Austin Kean, Mother Baptista Hanson and Mother Teresa Mullen.

At the Mass, two veterans presented a red, white and blue flower wreath during a moment of silence in honor of all veterans who have died.

Deacon Luis Taylor from Our Lady of Light parish, St. Albans, carried the wreath. A former soldier of the U.S. Army, he always tried to come and honor his fellow serviceman who gave the ultimate sacrifice for the country.

Also carrying the wreath was Robert Taylor III, who was raised in St. Anastasia parish, Douglaston. He had come to the Mass to honor his father who served in the Army infantry in Korea. Taylor, a Navy veteran, has a son in the U.S. Marines. He stressed the importance of remembering those who fought for the U.S.

After offering a prayer for the country, attendees intoned “America, the Beautiful” as they exited the tent. After Mass, attendees went to the sites of their loved ones to pay them tribute and add flowers and American flags to the graves.

Anne Marie Ronacher, a parishioner of St. Rita Church, East New York, said that this Memorial Day was significant for her because her mother, Theresa Gaylord Weber, had recently passed away. She was in the Women’s Army Corp. Ronacher’s father, John Weber, served in the Air Force.

“Today was really a special time to come,” Ronacher said. “It means a time of really thanking God for all the things I now have and understanding that there are a lot of these things I would not have had if it wasn’t for people like my mom and dad.”

Robert Taylor added that it is important for people to realize that the liberties people enjoy in this country are a reality due to the heroic sacrifice of those serving the U.S.

“Those liberties, those rights, those privileges that anyone from any country in the world can come here and pursue – life, happiness and prosperity – they are (in place) because of the men that we are honoring today,” he said.