HAMMOND – With flags flying at half mast inside St. John-St. Joseph Cemetery, members of the Catholic community gathered at the Gary Diocesan Cemeteries location in Hammond to celebrate a Memorial Day Mass on May 25.
Chief Operating Officer Michael Welsh shared he wanted to make sure the flags on the property were lowered to honor all the people who have died for their country. He also expressed his appreciation for members of the local Veterans of Foreign Wars and cub scouts who assist in preparing the grounds by placing small flags on veterans’gravesites.
“It’s important to remember,” Welsh said. “Remember their families, plus all those who are buried here.”
As the faithful arrived, Bishop Robert J. McClory greeted them as they entered and took a seat under a large white tent on the beautiful, sunny morning. In his opening remarks to begin Mass, the bishop thanked all those in attendance for coming to “honor not only those who gave their lives in service of our country and to remember them in our prayers, but also for all those who've been buried here on these grounds.”
During the homily, Bishop McClory noted that it was appropriate that Memorial Day fell on the Feast of Mary, Mother of the Church. He reminded those gathered that one of the prayers Catholics often pray honors the Blessed Virgin Mary – “The Memorare.” The prayer takes its name from the Latin word “memorare,” which means “remember.”
Reciting the words of the prayer, the bishop said, “Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help, or sought your intercession, was left unaided.”
Saying the prayer aloud, the bishop said, helps remind us that anyone can seek the Blessed Virgin Mary’s prayers with confidence.
The bishop also reflected on the words of the “Hail Mary,” particularly the words “Pray for us sinners now and at the hours of our death.” He said both prayers showcase in a very particular way that the Blessed Virgin Mary is there to pray for us.
“As we remember those who have given their lives in noble service of our country and all those who have died, we face that inevitability,” Bishop McClory said. “It’s not, ‘Will we die?’... but, ‘Will we be ready when we die?’”
Turning to the scripture reading, the bishop discussed the exchange in the Gospel of John, in which Jesus, as he is about to give up his life on the cross, turns to his beloved disciple, John, and to his mother. In the moment of his crucifixion, he tells his mother, “Woman, behold your son.” Mary, from that moment forward, looks upon the apostle John as her son.
“It's really Jesus saying to Mary, look upon all your sons and daughters, all of us who are baptized into Jesus Christ,” Bishop McClory said.
Jesus also turned to the disciple John and said, “Behold, your mother.”
“That’s Jesus saying to all of us, ‘Look, Mary, is your mother.’ And that same Mary who was faithful to Jesus until the moment, the hour of his death, is faithful to us as well,” the bishop said.
Bishop McClory acknowledged there are many prayers that people can and should pray for those who've died. He added that he was aware some of those present were there because they had loved ones who died and were buried in the cemetery.
“This is a loving tribute that you bring, not just to remember them, but to remember them in the most beautiful way, which is to pray for them,” he said.
Bishop McClory said that praying for those who have died, like on Memorial Day, is also an opportunity for those who are living to prepare themselves for that moment. The bishop shared his desire to continue offering Mass at the cemetery and offered this assurance to those who have already made plans to be buried at St. John-St. Joseph Cemetery, “We're going to keep praying for those who are buried here. Know that you will be ever in our prayers.”
Bishop McClory said the time God calls us may come at the end of a long preparation period or be quite sudden. What matters most, he stated, is not to see it as an ending, but as a beginning.
“Our time here is a preparation for an eternity with our loving God,” said the bishop. “Our response to the love that Jesus has for us is having faith in him, by seeking His mercy, by loving and serving others, by doing what He's called us to do. That is the best preparation, so that when we meet our maker, it won't be that it's over, but it's just the beginning.”
Bishop McClory then led the crowd in praying the “Hail Mary,” “for all those who have died in service of our country and for all those who have died and are buried here and other loved ones.”
Clementine Kerr, of Schererville, and her niece Mary Hill, of Crown Point, attend the Memorial Day Mass each year. She said she enjoys the patriotic music performed during the service and visits the burial sites of family members afterwards.
“We honor those who died so that we could live in freedom,” Kerr said. “For all the people who died, who helped teach us about our Lord.”
Michael Stanich, of Whiting, came to the cemetery, remembering his mother and father who are buried there. His father was a veteran who was serving in the military at the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor. He was fortunate to be on leave at the time, but was later on an escort carrier, the USS Sangamon, off the coast of Okinawa when it was attacked.
“He was approximately 17 when he enlisted and survived everything,” he explained.
Stanich also felt the call to serve his country and joined the U.S. Merchant Marines. He feels memorial services like the one organized by the diocese are a good way of coping with grief.
“I think it gives people a little relief from the loss,” he said.
