By Robin Williams
CEMETERIES are “a place of hope” and reminder that life conquers death, Southport parish priest Fr Jan Bialasiewicz said at a special prayer service on All Souls Day.
Fr Bialasiewicz joined fellow Gold Coast priests at a cemetery service on All Souls Day, officially celebrated on November 2 in the Catholic calendar.
More than 50 parishioners from the Gold Coast, many coming from Nerang and Southport, gathered at the new Crypts of the Sacred Heart at Allambe Memorial Park, Nerang.
Fr Bialasiewicz said he had been visiting and praying at cemeteries since his early days in the priesthood.
“As a young priest I remember we had a senior priest, Fr Anthony, in our pariah and every Sunday after lunch he would go to the cemetery and he would say, I hope this is the right translation, ‘go to the cemetery and you will get the right perspective (of) life and your way of following Jesus’,” he said.
Nerang parish priest Fr Rafal Rucinski presided at the prayer service.
While it is customary in his native Poland to pray at cemeteries, it was the first time he had prayed the special rite on the Gold Coast.
“These prayers at the cemetery are happening around the world in all countries on this day (All Souls Day) so I was very happy to be able to do this,” Fr Rucinski said.
Southport priest Fr Domenico Muscari was also at the prayer service.
