Catholic Cemeteries of LI Xmas Masses & Blessings Return for 2021

Coram, Long Island, NY; November 19, 2021 – Catholic Cemeteries of Long Island has announced the return of its annual in-person Christmas Ornament Masses at Cemetery of the Holy Rood in Westbury, Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Coram and Queen of All Saints Cemetery in Central Islip. Masses will be held simultaneously at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, December 4.

Christmas Ornament Masses are a tradition that Catholic Cemeteries of Long Island has offered families for decades. These Masses were cancelled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, hundreds are expected to take part in Masses or at special, smaller Ornament Blessing Prayer Services offered conveniently during the week.

Blessing services will take place at the following dates:

• Holy Rood in Westbury, NY: Wednesday through Friday, December 1st – 3rd, and Monday and Tuesday, December 6th – 7th
• Holy Sepulchure in Coram, NY: Wednesday through Friday, December 1st – 3rd
• Queen of All Saints in Central Islip: Monday and Tuesday, December 6th – 7th

All blessings begin at 9:30 a.m. A full schedule of Masses and blessing ceremonies can be found on the Catholic Cemeteries of Long Island website at Christmas Ornament Masses & Tree Blessings.

“Last year due to restrictions relating to the pandemic, we held a series of smaller ornament blessings that were very well received. They were so popular that we are continuing them as well moving forward. It is very important to us at Catholic Cemeteries of Long Island to offer families the opportunities to honor and remember their lost loved ones. Our in-person Christmas Masses and now Ornament Blessing Prayer Services are back for 2021 and we expect large numbers of families to attend,” said Richard Bie, President/CEO of Catholic Cemeteries of Long Island.

Families will attend services and bring their favorite or special Christmas ornaments that they will hang on chapel Christmas Trees as tributes to family members who have passed on. Many ornaments are handmade and others include photos of loved ones. Following the blessings of the Christmas Trees, families are invited to place these mementos in remembrance on the trees.

“Families across Long Island have been eager to know about the scheduling of our Christmas celebrations; these are among our most well attended each year.

Christmas Trees in our chapels are decorated with these special family ornaments, they serve as a beautiful and a fitting remembrance of those loved ones who have passed,” added Ann Andersen, Associate Director of Administration and Customer Sales. “And families are welcome to return, after Christmas, to take back the ornament and save it for an annual tradition in the future.”

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. Queen of Peace is the first new Catholic cemetery to open on Long Island in decades and its chapel is expect to completed by the summer of 2022.

Catholic Cemeteries of Long Island is dedicated to meeting both the spiritual and physical needs of the more than 1.4 million Catholics across the Diocese of Rockville Centre, which encompasses Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, NY.

For more information about Catholic Cemeteries of Long Island, mass schedule and other important information, please visit www.CCLongIsland.org.

Catholic Cemeteries of Long Island exists to meet the needs of individuals and parishes in 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/.

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PHOTO CAPTIONS (photo credit for all photos are courtesy of Catholic Cemeteries of Long ISland):

• Pictured is a close-up perspective of some of the ornaments adorning a Christmas Tree in the mausoleum area of Cemetery of the Holy Rood in Westbury. These ornaments were blessed with Holy Water for the 2021 Christmas season where they were then given back to families to hang on their own trees as part of the 2021 return of Catholic Cemeteries of Long Island's in-person Christmas Masses and Ornament Blessings.

• Pictured is a Christmas Tree decorated with ornaments for the 2021 Christmas season standing in the mausoleum area of Cemetery of the Holy Rood in Westbury as part of the 2021 return of Catholic Cemeteries of Long Island's in-person Christmas Masses and Ornament Blessings.