I’m late posting about this, but last Sunday, November 1, was All Saints Day, and my church has a tradition of remembering the loved ones who have died. We were invited to bring a photo of our loved one(s) to put on a table near the front of the church which had been decorated with flowers and candles. If you know me personally, you might know that our son Andrew passed away last May by suicide. His photo is displayed in the picture above in a silver frame just below the flowers in the center. Unfortunately, you can’t see it very clearly because of a reflection. The picture doesn’t show the whole table (actually, it’s probably two tables pushed together). It was a very moving display of people of all ages.

During the service, the names of loved ones who had passed away in the past year were read, and after every few names, a bell was rung. Later, people moved to the back of the church, picked up a white carnation to symbolize their departed loved one, and processed to the altar to put it into one of several vases gathered there while a pianist and a flautist softly played a beautiful duet of “Amazing Grace” with many variations.

In all the years I’ve attended this church, they have always celebrated All Saints Day as a special remembrance, but this year, because of Andrew’s death, it was a very emotional experience for me. I shared it with my Zoom suicide survivors group, and none of the other participants had ever been to a special service like this one. This may be an idea your house of worship might adopt to honor the memory of those who have gone before us.