BRIDGEPORT—Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) volunteers place flags on the graves of veterans in preparation for Memorial Day at Gate of Heaven Cemetery, 1056 Daniels Farm Road in Trumbull.
Many people throughout the diocese will pay a visit to one of the 14 diocesan cemeteries to offer a prayer and remember those who have died, particularly all those who served the country.
In 2019, Bishop Frank J. Caggiano offered this reflection on the meaning of Memorial Day: “As we begin to celebrate the “unofficial start” of the summer season this Memorial Day weekend, it may be good for each of us to pause and reflect upon the family that we form as a country.
It is a family that certainly faces many challenges for which there are no easy answers. It is also a family that must rediscover and recommit itself to the values upon which our nation was built and without which we cannot find true unity and prosperity for all its members. However, it is also a family worth recommitting ourselves to strengthen and heal.
The men and women who died for our country did not seek self-interest when they sacrificed their lives for you and me, to protect our national family. If we wish to honor them this weekend, let us have the courage to follow their example and love each other as they loved us.”
The diocese maintains 14 cemeteries, in Fairfield County. The largest and most active include St. Michael’s in Bridgeport; St. Mary-Putnam in Greenwich; St. John, Darien; St. John-St. Mary, Norwalk; Assumption Greens Farms Westport; Gate of Heaven, Trumbull; Resurrection, Newtown; Queen of Peace in Stamford, and St. Peter, Danbury.
For further information about the Catholic Cemeteries of the Diocese of Bridgeport, visit the website: www.bridgeportdiocese.org/cemeteries/; Or call: 203.6103414
Prayer for Memorial Day
Heavenly Father,
On this Memorial Day, we pray for those who courageously laid down their lives for the cause of freedom. May the example of their sacrifice inspire in us the selfless love of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Bless the families of our fallen troops, and fill their homes and their lives with your strength and peace. We pray this through Christ our Lord, Amen.
Photo: Courtesy of Ed Tamimi, Family Advisor at Gate of Heaven Cemetery
