12/18/2024
December is generally considered a joyful time as we anticipate the celebration of Christmas, but happy memories can sometimes feel bittersweet as we remember and honor loved ones who are no longer with us.
Buffalo Catholic Cemeteries provided a special opportunity for the community to honor their late friends and relatives at a candlelight remembrance service with Bishop Michael Fisher on Sunday afternoon, in the mausoleum at Mt. Olivet Cemetery.
During the ceremony, Bishop Fisher’s remarks delved into the ways that grief affects people and the merits of the painful emotion, while reminding the audience that Jesus himself wept over the death of his friend, Lazarus.
“The weight of our hearts can really feel immense at times of grief. … The sadness, though, is healthy,” Bishop Fisher said. “In one way, when you think about it, your heart, your core, your very being is honoring your loved one by your grief, by your tears. In your grief, in your tears, you are in a very profound way expressing your love for that person.”
Among prayer, musical interludes and readings, a handful of participants lit four candles at the front of the seating area: one in honor and memory of late loved ones, one for the pain of grief, one for hope and one for love. The light was then shared throughout the room as everyone in attendance picked up the candles placed on their seats and passed the flame, leading to a prayer thanking God for their deceased loved ones and asking for hope, peace and healing.
At the end of the ceremony all were invited to hang an ornament on the Christmas tree in memory of a loved one who had passed away – and new this year, guests were encouraged to take a vibrant blue Buffalo Catholic Cemeteries bulb home with them as a keepsake.
The remembrance ceremony has been a longstanding tradition for Buffalo Catholic Cemeteries, though it was paused for a few years during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I think [this ceremony] goes to certainly the corporal and the spiritual works of mercy that the Lord gives to us, that we comfort those that are mourning,” Bishop Fisher told the Bee. “For us who are Christians, we value the dignity of the human person even into death. Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, so we honor them and we honor their lives. Events like this are also for their loved ones who are hurt. We want to give them support and comfort in their grief. … These types of things, I think, show that we’re all in it together as a community of faith and that we support one another with our prayers and our love.”
Director of Cemeteries Tom Christy noted that this year, the remembrance ceremony is the first big event in the Diocese of Buffalo in the church’s calendar year, which started on Dec. 1 with the liturgical season of Advent that leads up to Christmas. It is a particularly special year too, as Pope Francis has called for a jubilee year – a tradition rooted in the Bible’s Old Testament and focused on “mercy, forgiveness, and solidarity,” according to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ website.
“As a part of [the jubilee, I’ve asked], for us to celebrate it also with the idea that healing is an important part of our church and our ministry. It’s a part of the life of our parishes. We’re in need of healing in many different ways,” Bishop Fisher said. He also shared praise for the work of the people at Buffalo Catholic Cemeteries, especially in regard to their outreach and pastoral efforts towards those who have suffered a great loss.
“The staff here know that this is not just a job; it’s a ministry, and it’s pastoral care. It’s the Lord’s work,” he said.
For more information about Buffalo Catholic Cemeteries, visit www.buffalocatholiccemeteries.org/.
https://www.clarencebee.com/articles/catholic-cemeteries-holds-remembrance-service/
December is generally considered a joyful time as we anticipate the celebration of Christmas, but happy memories can sometimes feel bittersweet as we remember and honor loved ones who are no longer with us. Buffalo Catholic Cemeteries provided a special opportunity for the community to honor their l...