Liturgy and picnic held at cemetery

BY PAT PASTERNAK
STAFF WRITER

At 10 a.m. on May 28, black clouds threatened to drop rain on the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in East Greenbush, as Rev. Adam Forno, pastor of St. John the Evangelist and St. Joseph's Church in Rensselaer, waited to begin the annual Memorial Day liturgy.

Parishioners gather every year at the necropolis to remember family members who have served in the military.

Cassidy Farrell, a sixth-grader at Goff Middle School, was among those attending. "We might stay for the picnic later," she said. "I'm not sure. I'm just hoping it doesn't rain!"

Her wish came true: The wind changed, the clouds moved, and the sun began shining.

Sunny day

As Father Forno began his homily, many of the approximately 250 people who had gathered laid down their closed umbrellas and donned sun hats.

"It's only rained once in the years that I've been doing this," he later noted. "We always have a large turnout. It's a very nice day for families to come together, remember their deceased and visit with each other."

The visiting happened when he got the idea of having a picnic at the cemetery because so many people remained after Mass to visit graves and socialize.

The first annual Holy Ground Picnic was held after the liturgy, reviving a tradition from Victorian days in the U.S. and still celebrated in many countries around the world on such feasts as All Saints Day.

Remembering

Josephine DiTullio, who will turn 80 later this year, sat in a folding lawn chair, wrapped in a scarf decorated with stars and stripes.

A parishioner of St. John's since she arrived in the U.S. in 1954 from Rome, Italy, she comes to every Memorial Day liturgy.

"My husband is buried here," she explained. "I come to the Mass for him. These are all people I know -- families that my children grew up with. So many to remember!"

Picnic

After the Mass, a serving table with a variety of Italian dishes, salads, fruit and cookies was set up, and people gathered in small groups to eat and chat.

At another table, set up in the shade of maple trees lining the lawns, choir members sat, tasting the treats under covered dishes brought from home.

Sister Patricia Mannion, RSM, the cantor, guitar player and singer for St. John's choir, said, "We decided to stay for the picnic as a group because it's important to many of us to maintain a sense of community."

"Father Forno was excited about having a picnic here, and we wanted to support him in that endeavor," added soprano Joan Gochee.

Said Sister Patricia: "It really is all about family. Half of our lives are here. It's just good to be together."

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