By Priscilla Greear, Staff Writer

ATLANTA—To honor those who have died and to recognize the Hispanic culture in the parish, St. Francis of Assisi Church in Cartersville held its first Day of the Dead celebration in conjunction with the feast of All Souls Day.

At sunset on Nov. 2, Anglo and Hispanic parishioners as well as ministers and people from the Cartersville community gathered at the Owen Funeral Home chapel inside Sunset Memory Gardens cemetery. In Mexico, it is traditional for Mass to be celebrated at graveyards and for there to be all-night gatherings. The bilingual Mass was celebrated by Father Denis Kolumber, MS, who leads the ministry to about 100 Hispanic families in the 620-family parish. Brother Bob Russell, MS, who coordinated the service and is parish administrator, explained that the Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a Catholic tradition that, like All Souls Day, honors and remembers the faithfully departed.

According to the Mexican Center of Atlanta, the holiday, one of the largest in Mexico, is traced to the ceremonial rites for departed souls initiated by Aztec, Mayan and other ancient societies. Following the arrival of the Spanish in the 16th century, the indigenous customs were blended with the Catholic Christian celebration of All Souls Day to create the present Dia de los Muertos. In Mexican culture, the worlds of the living and the dead are seen to be in interaction and the souls of the dead are believed to be spiritually close on this day.

During the prayers of the faithful, “we mentioned all the people that were buried from St. Francis over the last 33 years, (since) the LaSalettes have been here, to honor Nov. 2 which is All Souls Day,” Brother Russell said. Songs like “We Remember” were sung. “They were part and parcel of our lives. That is how we honor our deceased so that we don’t forget them. The legacy that they leave behind, we are supposed to follow” and pass it on as a model to our children.

Brother Russell said prayers were offered that the departed will rise with Christ. “It’s part of the resurrection story, (that) Jesus rose from the dead and that some day we will meet him.”

The chapel had a homemade altar honoring members’ deceased loved ones, as did St. Francis of Assisi Church. Both were made by Hispanic parishioners and are a centerpiece of the tradition. Following the Mass, people returned to St. Francis of Assisi where they celebrated and remembered the lives of their loved ones while feasting on tamales and other Hispanic foods.

The parish celebration blended various Hispanic cultural traditions, reflecting the diversity of its community, which includes Mexicans, Guatemalans, Peruvians and others. The altars traditionally include sheets of paper cut out in various designs, representations of skeletons and skulls, a comical welcome for returning souls, candles and flowers and letters written to loved ones. Pan de muertos, a special bread, rich in eggs, flavored with cinnamon and citron and coated with sugar, is made for this day. The bread has over 200 variations used around the world.

The altar traditionally has seven steps representing different life stages. From bottom to top, the steps symbolize God, life, the Lord’s command to love one another, the Holy Spirit, suffering, purgatory and death. The one designed by St. Francis of Assisi parishioners included the crucifix and images of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

According to church members, the festival is celebrated in many Hispanic countries, where wandering musicians walk through the streets and cemeteries playing favorite songs of the deceased while others offer prayers for them. Homes, churches and cemeteries are decorated to welcome the departed souls home for this occasion.

Brother Russell said the festival was a hit. “It was amazing. A lot of the community was saying, ‘I hope and pray this will be done every year,’” he said. “It was very well received.”

Many who are not Hispanic commented that the event added richness to the parish and gave non-Hispanics more of an understanding of this ritual of Hispanic cultures, he said.

Brother Russell said the parish will hold its largest bilingual Our Lady of Guadalupe celebration this year. It will include a children’s pageant and fiesta on Dec. 12. They will also have a posada, an Hispanic tradition beginning 10 days before Christmas, which involves a reenactment of Mary and Joseph’s search for a place for Jesus to be born.

The parish offers about five bilingual Masses yearly plus Spanish classes for Anglos. The Hispanic ministry offers needed services including, for the past two years, the Manos de Cristo health clinic. Through a Bartow County clinic, parish health care workers “donate their time and talent to reach out to the Hispanic community” and serve those without health insurance, Brother Russell said.

Through events like the Day of the Dead celebration and other such efforts, Brother Russell said relations between the ethnic communities have improved significantly.

“I think it’s because we’ve gotten involved with them and I think they really appreciate us more and we appreciate them,” he said.

REMEMBERING -- A homemade altar made by Hispanic parishioners is displayed at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Cartersville for All Souls Day. The altar draws upon the Mexican custom of celebrating the memory of those who have died.