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October 31, 2023By Mary Lim
The Diocese of Tucson Catholic Cemeteries will celebrate its traditional annual All Souls Day Mass on Thursday, November 2, 2023. Masses will be offered at both Catholic cemetery locations. All are invited to attend.
The Mass at Holy Hope Cemetery on 3555 N. Oracle Road will take place at 8:30am in front of the Mausoleum. The Mass at Our Lady of the Desert Cemetery on 2151 S. Avenida Los Reyes will take place at 8:30am at the Family Service Center.
This annual event organized by Holy Hope Cemetery staff is special because it is the one day of the year that the Church makes a special effort to remember beloved family and friends who have passed.
All Souls Day is the final day of the traditional Catholic holiday season Allhallowtide, which consists of three days total, and which remembers and honors those who have gone on to eternal life before us. On All Hallows Eve, October 31st, we remember our mortality and we prepare to celebrate the lives of loved ones and the Communion of Saints. November 1st is All Saints Day, on which we celebrate the feast of all the Saints in Heaven. The final day of the triduum holiday is November 2nd, All Souls Day, on which we remember and celebrate the lives of all those who have gone before us.
The tradition of the All Souls Day Masses at the cemeteries here in the Diocese of Tucson is particularly meaningful to the local Hispanic community, who also celebrate Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, commonly observed on November 1st and 2nd. Attending Mass is a big part of the Hispanic tradition of Dia de los Muertos. Many families attend the Mass at the cemetery, and then take the time after to clean up the memorial markers of their loved ones who rest there. This is a Hispanic tradition that is similar to what takes place in Mexico.
In addition to this special All Souls Day Mass, the Catholic cemeteries in Tucson also host a monthly memorial Mass for families of loved ones who have died. This Mass takes place each month on the 3rd Saturday of the month, except the months of May (replaced by a Memorial Day Mass) and November (replaced by an All Souls Day Mass). In addition to these celebrations, the cemeteries will also offer an Advent Mass this year on December 16th at 8:30am.