Parishioners of St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Coeur d'Alene and Catholics from neighboring parishes attended the second annual All Souls Day Mass at St. Thomas Cemetery on Nov. 2, the Feast of All Souls.
All Souls Day Mass - St. Thomas Cemetery
St. Thomas Cemetery is the only Catholic cemetery in the area and so it provided a unique opportunity for unity among parishioners and generation after generation of our departed brothers and sisters in the faith,” said Genavive Edman, communications director for St. Thomas the Apostle Church. More than 100 people of all ages attended the outdoor Mass, celebrated by Father John Mosier and assisted by Deacon Andy Finney.
Parishioners wrote the names of loved ones in a book of remembrance set by the altar for several weeks before the All Souls Day Mass. During the Mass, offered for the Holy Souls in Purgatory, a bell rang 12 times in memory of the faithful departed.
“We were blessed with warm weather for north Idaho, and the moonlit night provided an opportunity for many to stay afterward to recall the lives of those they love,” Edman said. “Children were also taught to respect the ground on which they walked as they paid visits to their grandparents’ graves,” Edman said. “The personal votives helped remind us of the light of Christ amidst the darkness of death. Joy and suffering often go hand in hand and this All Souls Day Mass was a beautiful reminder that we are all on a pilgrimage together to our true home in heaven.”
(Photos courtesy/Genavive Edman)