My great grandmother passed away in late October and her funeral was held at Lake Lawn Cemetery on October 29, 2012. I can't say whether or not this was a traditional New Orleans funeral in the sense that if you were to stumble into the more 'run down' cemeteries that this is what you would see; however, this funeral was, to me, a very traditional Catholic funeral, which are very common in New Orleans because of the amount of Catholics present here.
My grandmother was clothed in white and there was a crucifix hanging over her in the open casket. Present at the funeral was a nun as well as the pastor of St. Agnes, a Vietnamese man with a strong accent (there are a great many Vietnamese people in New Orleans as well--a topic for another post). Of course, there was a funeral mass complete with readings, a homily, and the Eucharist for those of the Catholic orientation.
The homily was beautiful. Catholics have a very interesting way of viewing death. The priest could not stress enough, it seemed, that we should be happy for her, as she is finally going to her eternal reward. He also pointed out that she and my great grandfather had been married for sixty eight years and attended church regularly and always together.
What does this have to do with New Orleans?
Just the flavor, if I may use the word, of the environment was one I have not experienced at other funerals, even within the state of Louisiana (of course, those were Mormon funerals, so there was that difference). A Vietnamese priest delivering the homily for a Creole Catholic woman? The fact that he wore flamboyant sunglasses while delivering the final words before they slid her into her above-ground grave? Perhaps I am just not experienced enough with other places and funerals, but to me it seems like there was something all together unique about this funeral, as well as all those which take place in New Orleans.
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