Our Lady of Lourdes Middle School students finds life among the dead at Mount Calvary Cemetery
Friday, Nov. 28, 2014
Courtesy of Our Lady of Lourdes School
+ Enlarge
Courtesy of Our Lady of Lourdes School
By Special to the Intermountain Catholic
SALT LAKE CITY — Middle school students of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School gathered in the center of Mount Calvary Catholic Cemetery on a warm Halloween morning. Each student offered up the name of a loved one who had died, and a traditional Catholic funeral prayer was recited. Afterward, the students participated in a treasure hunt in both Mt. Calvary and the adjacent City Cemetery, searching for symbols and epitaphs that indicated various cultures and ways of life.
“Teaching students about the dignity of Catholic and Christian burial traditions connects our belief in the Paschal Mystery, the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We are reminded that God has created each of us for eternal life,” explained Karen Streeter, a middle school teacher at Our Lady of Lourdes School. “Additionally, epitaphs and symbols that are placed on gravestones create a portrait of the people who have lived in and helped shape our city.”
Students also explored sections of the cemetery and wondered at the epitaphs.
“Reading some of the epitaphs made me realize the importance of our names,” one student said. “It is so important to appreciate the life we are given. We need to live in a way that will eventually leave a positive legacy with our names. The epitaphs have just a few words, but are filled with a lot of meaning.”
The diversity of Salt Lake City was a common observation. Benjamin Franklin said, “Show me your cemeteries and I will tell you what kind of people you have.” An eighth grade student agreed with this by noting, “I enjoyed walking through the Jewish section where the graves are marked with Hebrew and rocks are stacked as memorials. Also, the veteran’s section and the area where so many babies are buried were very emotional for me. It made me see that we all leave our marks on the world no matter how old we are when we die. There is so much sacrifice.”
The seventh and eighth grade students left the cemeteries with a renewed sense of life after listening to those who have died.
Stay Connected With Us