Beaches, Bars and Cemeteries

Beaches and Bars! Media show pictures of both crowded; we are concerned that people will not social distance, causing a rise in numbers of COVID-19 cases this long weekend. I have not heard that people are concerned about crowds at cemeteries. Today people mostly think of the final weekend in May as the unofficial beginning of the summer season, a time to have fun.

Memorial Day, originally known as Decoration Day, started after the Civil War to honor the Union and Confederate dead. In Charleston, S.C., 257 Union soldiers died in prison there and were buried in unmarked graves. The town’s black residents organized a day in May during which they landscaped a burial ground to properly honor the soldiers. For decades May 31 was a time to visit cemeteries and decorate the graves of deceased family members and a solemn day of remembrance for those having served in the armed forces.

In 1950 Congress passed a resolution requesting that the President issue a Proclamation calling for Americans to observe Memorial Day as a day of Prayer for Permanent Peace. In 1968 Memorial Day was established as the last Monday in May to create a three-day weekend. The day became an official federal holiday in 197l.

          And now, in 2020? With the movement to “open up” the country, gathering outside in large gatherings is very tempting. But what about the cemeteries?  I have seen images of new space for hundreds of graves being dug daily in Brazil for victims of the pandemic. They are unmarked graves crowded together. How do we commemorate—remember together—the millions who are dying globally? How do we with courage and compassion resolve to pray and work for national and world-wide health and peace?