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.
Showing posts with label Lake Lawn Cemetery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lake Lawn Cemetery. Show all posts
Monday, November 26, 2012
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Funerals, Part One
I've only ever been to one "traditional" New Orleans funeral, and that was of my best friend's mother, who died of lung cancer, back in the summer of 2009. She was buried near City Park in Lake Lawn Cemetery and since the funeral I have not been back to the standing grave where she was laid to rest. However, I remember the services very clearly.
Ms. Biffy, as we called her, had been diagnosed with lung cancer the day before Christmas in 2008, and she spent the next six months trying chemo therapy and wearing oxygen masks. However, she passed away in June 2009 and the services were held in New Orleans and Metairie, where she had lived with her husband and two children. The wake was one like I had never before witnessed. It was held at Lake Lawn and there were well over a thousand people there to pay respects to her. It was a beautiful occasion. There were visitors from all over the state (due to the Katrina diaspora) whom I had not seen in years and have not seen since.
The funeral mass--she was a well-to-do Catholic woman with good standing in the church--was held in St. Ann church in Metairie. The church was packed with weeping witnesses. Her husband wrote a eulogy which he was unable to deliver and so had a family friend deliver it instead. It was beautiful.
After the mass, everyone followed the hearse to the interstate and to the cemetery where there was a standing grave labeled "DeBuys." I think the worst part was watching them push the coffin into the tomb.
I mention this funeral because I will be going to another traditional Catholic New Orleans funeral tomorrow for my great-grandmother who passed away around noon last Wednesday. This one, however, I'm expecting to be small, as she was well into her eighties when she left. My grandparents have set up donations to animal hospitals for the funeral, as my great-grandmother was a fond lover of animals, even after she developed Alzheimer's. She was known to collect stray cats and let them wander through her house, and her favorite dogs were Schnauzers, whom she often overfed and didn't bathe. However, she was a wonderful woman with a big heart, and I am sad to see her go.
Traditional New Orleans graves stand above ground, due to the fact that it floods here quite often. During/after Katrina there were a great many corpses which had been unearthed from their graves because of the excessive flooding.
Ms. Biffy, as we called her, had been diagnosed with lung cancer the day before Christmas in 2008, and she spent the next six months trying chemo therapy and wearing oxygen masks. However, she passed away in June 2009 and the services were held in New Orleans and Metairie, where she had lived with her husband and two children. The wake was one like I had never before witnessed. It was held at Lake Lawn and there were well over a thousand people there to pay respects to her. It was a beautiful occasion. There were visitors from all over the state (due to the Katrina diaspora) whom I had not seen in years and have not seen since.
The funeral mass--she was a well-to-do Catholic woman with good standing in the church--was held in St. Ann church in Metairie. The church was packed with weeping witnesses. Her husband wrote a eulogy which he was unable to deliver and so had a family friend deliver it instead. It was beautiful.
After the mass, everyone followed the hearse to the interstate and to the cemetery where there was a standing grave labeled "DeBuys." I think the worst part was watching them push the coffin into the tomb.
I mention this funeral because I will be going to another traditional Catholic New Orleans funeral tomorrow for my great-grandmother who passed away around noon last Wednesday. This one, however, I'm expecting to be small, as she was well into her eighties when she left. My grandparents have set up donations to animal hospitals for the funeral, as my great-grandmother was a fond lover of animals, even after she developed Alzheimer's. She was known to collect stray cats and let them wander through her house, and her favorite dogs were Schnauzers, whom she often overfed and didn't bathe. However, she was a wonderful woman with a big heart, and I am sad to see her go.
Traditional New Orleans graves stand above ground, due to the fact that it floods here quite often. During/after Katrina there were a great many corpses which had been unearthed from their graves because of the excessive flooding.
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