On November 2nd, the Feast of All Souls, some of the clients from Cabrini Immigrant Services, Dobbs Ferry, (CIS-DF) celebrated Día de los Muertos, (the Day of the Dead), with the residents at St. Cabrini Nursing Home.
Prior to the start of the prayer service, a beautiful altar, the ofrenda, was created in the lobby of the nursing home. There was such reverence and love that went into creating the altar. Each piece that was added had great meaning. There were marigolds, butterflies, fresh fruits (bananas and oranges), bread, skulls, candles, pictures of some of our deceased loved ones, colorful banners, etc. It is customary in Mexico and many of the countries in South America to build an altar in your home to remember the dead. Our CIS clients were from Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, and Venezuela. Many of our clients are not able to go to their countries to celebrate with their families so they are so appreciative of being able to celebrate as part of the ‘Cabrini Family.’
The prayer service, which was held in the chapel, was presented in Spanish and English. Some of the clients from CIS-DF spoke about what Día de los Muertos means to them. A focus on the monarch butterfly and its connection to Dia de los Muertos was presented. As part of the service, several people held paper monarch butterflies while others held butterfly cutouts with special words in English and Spanish such as Hope/Esperanza, Love/Amor, Faith/Fe and Family/Familia. Those holding the monarch butterflies came to the front of the altar to symbolize the arrival of the butterflies. Those holding the cutouts, raised them up to represent the enduring values that connect families across generations.
The residents were then led out of the chapel to the lobby where there were luminaria bags in the hall that lit the way. One of our clients led the procession as she held the Book of the Dead. The clients spoke about the altar and the meaning of the different items.
Everyone was invited to write the names of their deceased family and friends on a card and then place it on the altar. They will be remembered in our prayers.
A special thank you to Bonnie Burke, CEO/Nursing Home Administrator at St. Cabrini Nursing Home and Fr. Ron Galt, Vice President for Mission Integration and Pastoral Care, for inviting us to celebrate such a meaningful time at the nursing home.