Memorial Mass Offers Peace And Hope

By ERIKA ANDERSON, Staff Writer

Published: November 6, 2003

ROSWELL—In a moving gesture of remembrance and love, Catholics gathered Nov. 1 to celebrate the lives of their deceased loved ones and to remember in prayer the souls of the faithful departed.

For the fourth year, Father Frank McNamee, pastor of St. Peter Chanel Church, celebrated a memorial Mass on the feast of All Saints Day at Greenlawn Cemetery in Roswell. Over 60 people gathered in the All Saints Catholic section of the cemetery on the beautiful fall day.

Music was led by Dave Thomasberger, and though tears were shed, the Mass primarily offered peace and hope.

Father McNamee said that many St. Peter Chanel parishioners have loved ones buried at Greenlawn, but the Mass drew people from other parishes as well.

“It’s an opportunity for us to grieve the loss of our loved ones, to remember them and let them know we are still praying for them and still love them,” he said.

During the Mass the congregation was given the opportunity to mention aloud their loved ones’ names. A Litany of Remembrance was also read, and was an especially poignant moment of the service.

Father McNamee said that Masses during which the dead are remembered are important elements in the Catholic faith.

“I think as a church sometimes we have nearly become so politically correct that we are afraid to tell people that we need to pray for our dead. How many funerals have you been to where you felt you just left a canonization?” he said. “When we pray for our dead, I think it makes us all take a close look at our own deaths and our own lives and our preparation for our eternal life.”

Ann Lampe, who directs the ministry to the sick at St. Peter Chanel, is working to organize a bereavement ministry that will begin in early 2004.

She said the memorial Mass this year drew the largest crowd since it began four years ago.

“It was very moving, very touching,” she said. “It was a beautiful day and I think everyone there really appreciated it, whether they lost someone recently or a long time ago.”

Lampe, whose husband, Deacon Martin Lampe, assisted at the Mass, believes that the Mass’s popularity has grown, in part, because of Father McNamee who she said is “so wonderful and always acknowledges when someone has lost a loved one.” The Mass gives comfort to those who are grieving, she said.

“People really get a sense of peace. They are still grieving and probably never really actually get over it, but it’s about knowing that yes, they are gone, but they are not forgotten,” she said. “It’s just a beautiful, beautiful Mass.”

On Wednesday, Nov. 19, St. Peter Chanel Church will hold a “Mass of the Angels” for families who have experienced miscarriages or children who were stillborn.

For more information, call the parish at (678) 277-9424.