El Dia De Los Muertos

Congregations in the diocese prepared ofrendas in remembrance of friends and loved ones in observance of El Dia de Los Muertos on All Saints Sunday on November 3.

Why observe El Día de Los Muertos? The Church is called to offer pastoral care and to stand as a place of refuge and a wellspring of resilience. As people across the United States rise up for social justice, the Church is called to speak prophetic truth to power. The Church is called to give renewed witness to the way of love and the vision of Beloved Community.

Hispanic culture offers a unique opportunity not only to mourn the dead but also to affirm and celebrate life in community: El Día de Los Muertos, a festival originating in central and southern Mexico and now widely observed in Spanish-speaking communities in the United States. By observing El Día de Los Muertos as local congregations and as a diocese, we have an opportunity to offer a sacred and civic space and to express our solidarity with our Latino/Hispanic congregants, neighbors, and friends. Participation in El Día de los Muertos by clergy, parishes, missions, and other local ministries is entirely voluntary. We hope that many clergy and congregations will continue to participate to embody a corporate embrace of our shared grief and enact a unifying expression of our solidarity.