All is an interesting word and is used in so many ways. All can be an adjective, adverb, pronoun or noun and the pertinent Websters definitions are “the whole amount, quantity, or extent of” or “every member or individual component of” or “the whole of one’s possessions, resources, or energy”. All includes every one of us and it is the same with the Catholic church. Catholic is an often-misinterpreted word but what it means is universal. It is all encompassing and all inclusive. Wherever you may find yourself in our world, regardless of the nationality or race of the people around you, in the Catholic church we are one. 

November is the month dedicated to those who have achieved Heaven and we celebrate with them on All Saints Day, on All Souls Day, we pray for those who need a boost to reach paradise. The key word is All. When we pray for all the saints and all the souls, we do not make any distinctions based on what we see, because in death none of those earthly distinctions matter anymore. We are universally loved by God and Jesus died for all of us. 

Our Catholic cemeteries are a part of that universal love for all the people we serve regardless of station in life or background. Our ministry is the corporal work of mercy of burying the dead and the spiritual work of mercy of serving those who mourn. The beauty of our ministry is that those earthly differences disappear, and we simply see each other all as members of the same family. We all have the opportunity to achieve Heaven and be remembered on All Saints Day and All Souls Day.

Jesus came for each of us, and He gave us the two rules that matter most: Love God above all else and love thy neighbor as thyself. We pray for all the souls of our departed so they may one day bask in the light of Christ.

God bless,

Andrej Lah

Director of Cemeteries