Generations of our family were raised in the Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in St. Thomas.
Every year, we followed the traditions of the Catholic faith, celebrating and commemorating the religious doctrine.
All Soul’s Day
All Soul’s Day, celebrated on November 2nd, was a day of prayer and was honored with a pilgrimage to the Western Cemetery. ✟
The community band played hymns and dirges, “a lament for the dead”, as parishioners sang mournful songs.
It was a time to pay homage to those that passed, by decorating the graves with flowers and lighting candles.
A Family Tale
On one particular occasion, a relative brought her two young sons along on the pilgrimage.
As she was singing a soft hymn for the mother she lost, she noticed that her eldest son had wandered off.
Frightened, she searched for him and was surprised to find him some distance away.
He was standing next to a large tomb with the face of a woman etched on the surface.
When she scolded him about leaving her side, he told her that a young girl pulled him away and wanted to play.
Looking around, she could not find any sign of the little girl he was referring to.
After that day, she said, “I never brought my young children to the cemetery again”.