Since the Civil War, Americans have gathered at cemeteries in spring to honor those who have died defending our country.
On the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, the faithful of the Diocese of Allentown continued that tradition by joining Bishop Alfred Schlert at Holy Saviour Cemetery for a remembrance Mass, and for the blessing of a new mausoleum.
“It’s such an important thing for us as a nation to be able to come together to worship and offer Mass for those who have given their lives in service to our country,” the Bishop said in his homily.
They fought for our right to worship, for our right to vote, for our right to assemble, for our right to live in peace, he said. “They preserved that peace for us at the cost of their own lives.”
Bishop Schlert noted that diocesan cemeteries are “a place of honor, a sacred place where we can all honor our dead, whether they be military or non-military.”
During the Mass, Bishop Schlert walked into the construction zone for the new mausoleum to bless it with holy water. “After preparing this resting place for the dead, we should raise our hearts from earth to heaven, and look to Christ who suffered and rose again for our salvation,” he said.
The mausoleum, which will contain crypts for caskets and niches for cremated remains, is expected to be completed in June.
Bishop Schlert also spoke of the importance of preserving the dignity of human life, and of the danger when a society strays from that protection by passing laws permitting abortion and euthanasia.
“Our founding fathers remembered that God is the author of life, and everything they did in writing our nation’s founding documents was to acknowledge that, and to protect that human dignity,” he said.
Those who died in our nation’s wars “left their families, their children, their girlfriends, their wives, their parents, and their siblings,” he said. “They said goodbye at train stations, ports, and airports, not knowing whether they would come back. Many did, but many did not. We honor them today, and we give thanks to God for them.”
The Mass was celebrated outdoors on a cold, windy, and sunless morning, amid the 34,520 graves in the 101-year-old Bethlehem cemetery. At the conclusion of the rite, an honor guard from the Catholic War Veterans Post 454 offered a rifle salute, and a bugler played taps.
By Paul Wirth.
Photo by Nick Chismar.
