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On Guam, All Souls Day an all-consuming tradition
Marissa Laracuente, 11, receives Holy Communion from Father Carl Vila during the All Souls Day Mass on Wednesday in the Guam Veterans Cemetery.
By Frank Whitman | Special to Stars and Stripes November 4, 2005
Hundreds of Guam residents gathered around the graves of loved ones in the Guam Veterans Cemetery on Wednesday during a Catholic Mass in observance of All Souls Day.
The scene was repeated in cemeteries around the island as residents spent the day honoring deceased relatives. Public and Catholic schools were closed, as were local government offices and many businesses.
“I’m pretty sure that Guam is the only place in the United States with this tradition,” said Tony Ramirez, historian with Guam’s Department of Parks and Recreation. An estimated 75 percent to 85 percent of Guam’s population is Catholic.
Though All Souls Day is a minor commemoration for Catholics in many parts of the world, including the continental United States, it has elevated significance in Guam, partly due to the tradition of ancestor worship practiced by ancient Chamorros and the high regard for family ties in the local culture.
The Veterans Cemetery at the base of Nimitz Hill in Piti was opened by the Navy in 1954. The first person buried there was Army Sgt. Francisco Javier, a Guam native and a casualty of the Korean War, Ramirez said. The Navy turned the cemetery over to the local government in the mid-1980s. Today, about 2,000 veterans, spouses and dependents are buried in the cemetery, according to a Parks and Recreation official.
Prior to Wednesday’s celebration at the cemetery, many family members cleaned and decorated their loved ones’ graves, placing flowers, crosses, flags, pinwheels, rosaries, photos and other ornamentation.
During his homily, Father Wilfredo Lorilla asked for special remembrance for those who had given their lives as members of the armed forces.
Among those in attendance were Dolores Cruz and her daughter, two grandchildren and a great-granddaughter. She is the widow of Eduardo Cruz, a retired Navy chief petty officer who was taken prisoner by the Japanese during World War II and is buried in the cemetery.
“We like to make the grave look nice to show our respect and love,” she said. “And of course we pray for our relatives and loved ones.”
Also at the service was Joseph G. Cruz (no relation to Dolores), a retired chief petty officer who served a year in Vietnam. He, his wife and children were gathered around the grave of his mother.
“This is an important tradition to us,” he said. “We come here every year to show our love and because they are always in our minds and our hearts.”
