Friends, as many of you are aware, on Halloween night, Calvary Cemetery in Rochester was vandalized. The profane marks have now been removed, and we wanted to make sure the cemetery was spiritually cleansed as well.
I performed the Rite for Reconciling a Profaned Cemetery. As a part of this rite, we prayed the Litany of the Saints, read Psalm 50, sprinkled holy water across cemetery grounds and all places where the deceased were profaned, and concluded in prayer.
This vandalism is an affront to not only common decency but to those families who, as a work of mercy, placed the remains of their loved ones in a place where prayers could be offered and their memory could be cherished.
Most Merciful Father, deign to purify and to reconcile this resting place of your pilgrims, who look for a haven in your heavenly kingdom.