To Teach as Jesus Did:

Catholic Education in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee

May 5, 2016

“Catholic Schools in the Year of Mercy:  Burying the Dead”

Every year on Memorial Day, my sisters and I continue our family’s long tradition of visiting the graves of those who’ve gone before us.  We spend the afternoon at many, if not most, of the nine local cemeteries where our parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, and other relatives are buried.  It’s a precious time of sharing memories, noting the dates of birth and death on their tombstones, and praying silently for each of them.

This month the Archdiocese of Milwaukee’s focus for the Jubilee Year of Mercy is the Corporal Work of Mercy, “Burying the Dead.” This Corporal Work of Mercy is directly related to the Spiritual Work of Mercy, “Praying for the Living and the Dead.”

I encourage you to watch this video in which Father Ken Omernick, Archdiocesan “Missionary of Mercy,” describes his own recent visit to family gravesites and emphasizes the importance of honoring the dead.
 

Year of Mercy: Burying the Dead

In all our Catholic schools, during this month of May, let us join with our brothers and sisters throughout the archdiocese in living out the Corporal Work of Mercy, “Burying the Dead” by:
 

• Teaching, as appropriate, about the Christian meaning of death and the importance of Christian funerals:
   
• Encouraging students and their families to visit the graves of relatives, friends, and acquaintances and give thanks for their influence and their legacy. 
   
• Supporting, through prayer, research, and donations, the Nazareth Project Bereavement Ministries:
   
• Commemorating, through a meaningful celebration of Memorial Day, the sacrifice of all those, both living and deceased, who have given of themselves in service to their country.
   

A blessed Jubilee Year of Mercy to all!
 

Kathleen A. Cepelka, Ph.D.
Superintendent of Catholic Schools