Annual cemetery visitations offer a way to honor and grow in relationship with the deceased

Bella Bailey

Multimedia Correspondent

The annual cemetery visitations day will take place Oct. 18 at St. John Cemetery, Ft. Mitchell, 10 a.m.; St. Mary Cemetery, Ft. Mitchell, 11 a.m.; and St. Stephen Cemetery, Ft. Thomas, 12:30 p.m. At each cemetery a prayer service will be led by Bishop John Iffert, and the names of each person buried during the last year will be read. The event is open to all as this tradition is a way to honor those who have passed as they transition from this life to the next.

The practice of cemetery visitations in the Catholic church is “as ancient as the Church,” said Father Daniel Schomaker, director of the Office of Worship and pastor of Blessed Sacrament Parish, Ft. Mitchell. With its roots developing in early Christians visiting the tombs of those who have passed to ask for their intercession.

“It’s this prayer of intercession,” said Father Schomaker, “and so we visit our cemeteries where our loved ones await the resurrection of the dead because we believe in the resurrection of the body.”

We visit, he said, “to maintain that relationship, between those who have died and the living. It doesn’t end in death, so we encourage that relationship to be continued.”

“As Catholics, we understand that death does not bring the end of life, it just brings a transition, change, in that life,” he said.

In the same way that we offer petitions at Mass for the deceased, Father Schomaker said that we offer our prayers at the cemetery, months and even years later.

“We’re dealing with a God who is outside of time, outside of space, who we believe to be eternally present. So, those prayers for the dead are as efficacious years and years after the death as they are on the day,” said Father Schomaker.