Catholic Cemeteries of Long Island to Host All Souls Day Masses

Catholic Cemeteries of Long Island will be hosting special services on two solemn days next week – All Souls Day and Cemetery Sunday. All families are welcome to attend services on both days to pray for and remember their loved ones who have passed.

On Wednesday, November 2nd, Catholic Cemeteries of Long Island will be celebrating All Souls Day Masses at Cemetery of the Holy Rood in Westbury, Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Coram, and Queen of All Saints Cemetery in Central Islip. Families look forward to this opportunity to pray together as they remember their loved ones laid to rest at these cemeteries. Each Mass this year will be presided over by a Bishop from the Diocese of Rockville Centre.
“The Masses held on All Souls Day provide hope and comfort to families across Long Island who are mourning a loss. Catholic Cemeteries of Long Island remains committed to providing access to our cemeteries and offering masses as well as other opportunities to pray, reflect and remember those who have passed” stated Richard C. Bie, President and CEO of Catholic Cemeteries of Long Island.

The All Souls Day Masses take place at each site, simultaneously, on Wednesday, November 2, 2022 at 9:30 a.m. The following Bishops will preside:

• Cemetery of the Holy Rood Chapel, Westbury – Presided by Bishop Andrzej Zglejszewski
• Holy Sepulchre Cemetery Chapel, Coram – Presided by Bishop Luis Romero
• Queen of All Saints Cemetery Chapel, Central Islip – Presided by Bishop Robert Coyle

In addition to All Souls Day, the first Sunday of November has traditionally been observed by Catholic Cemeteries across the country as “Cemetery Sunday,” a special day to pray for the deceased and visit the graves of loved ones in a show of respect for those who have gone before us. Prior to the pandemic, Catholic Cemeteries of Long Island hosted a special Candle Lighting (Vespers) service at Cemetery of the Holy Rood each Cemetery Sunday, inviting families to a special cemetery of prayer, song and remembrance. On Sunday, November 6, the Candle Vespers service will return to Cemetery of the Holy Rood after a two-year absence. In addition, for the very first time, Catholic Cemeteries of Long Island will celebrate a Candle Vespers service at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Coram. Both services will take place at 3:00 pm. During each service, all attendees will have the opportunity to say aloud the name of their dearly departed family members and friends.

“Cemetery Sunday has always been a special day at our cemeteries, highlighted by the Candle Vespers,” said Mr. Bie. “It was important that we extended this service to Holy Sepulchre so that families in both Nassau and Suffolk Counties have the opportunity to participate in this beautiful, solemn service in memory of their loved ones.”
For additional information on All Souls Day Masses and Candle Vespers Services at Catholic Cemeteries of Long Island, please visit www.CCLongIsland.org.

Dedicated to meeting both the spiritual and physical needs of the more than 1.4 million Catholics across Long Island, Catholic Cemeteries of Long Island owns and operates four cemeteries across Long Island, including Cemetery of the Holy Rood in Westbury, NY, Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Coram, NY, Queen of All Saints Cemetery in Central Islip, NY, and Queen of Peace Cemetery in Old Westbury, NY. Queen of Peace is the first new Catholic cemetery to open on Long Island in decades. The chapel at Queen of Peace Cemetery is under construction at this time and is expected to be completed and open to visitors in the coming months.
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About Catholic Cemeteries of Long Island
Catholic Cemeteries of Long Island exists to meet the needs of individuals and parishes throughout the Diocese of Rockville Centre, NY in preparation for, at the time of, and following the death of a loved one. Catholic Cemeteries of Long Island owns and operates four cemeteries across Long Island including Cemetery of the Holy Rood in Westbury, Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Coram, Queen of All Saints Cemetery in Central Islip and Queen of Peace Cemetery in Old Westbury. At our cemeteries, we attend to both the spiritual and physical needs of the families we serve - from the physical burial of their dead to emotional support for the difficult loss of separation. We attempt to maintain a beautiful and comforting setting where a family can come to remember and memorialize their loved one. We also support parish bereavement groups for families as well as assist with a bereavement conference. Finally, we attend to financial matters to assure that funds are available to care for cemeteries now and in distant future. Most importantly we attend to spiritual needs of the families we serve. We do this through our Saturday masses and other liturgical celebrations throughout the year. Catholic cemeteries are “Sacred places” and are given a special blessing to highlight their sacred character. For more information please visit www.CCLongIsland.org