It’s All Saints’ Day today, and in New Orleans has its own particular way of honoring the deceased, with reverence and humor. I’m Jim Metzner, and this is the Pulse of the Planet, presented by DuPont. We’re in New Orleans’ St. Roch cemetery, at an All Saints’ Day mass presided over by Father Tony Ricard. “All of us are destined to be saints, and that means that my grandmomma, who I would argue with anybody, is already in heaven. See, today’s the day I celebrate her day. Tomorrow is All Souls’ Day, that’s when I pray for my grandaddy, because we wonder whether or not he’d have made it. But today I celebrate my grandmomma. I don’t think the church will ever say, you know, July 4th, which is her birthday, is Anastasia Honore day, but All Saints’ Day is her day, ’cause she’s one of the ones that never made the list. But it don’t make her any less a saint.” After the mass, it’s the custom in New Orleans’ Catholic cemeteries for priests to take what’s known as a rosary walk. They’ll go amongst the above-ground tombs and bless them with holy water. And as parishioners approach Father Tony to bless the tomb of their loved ones, he finds just the right balance of compassion and levity. “You know, you have the honor of being the first person I have blessed by her grave, before she even got in there….Today’s the day you ought to go and have a special dinner. Figure out what Daddy used to like, and then go eat that. Cause you got to celebrate, cause now, he’s got to pray for you. All right, well, hang in there… We ask the Lord to bless all those who rest in this place, that indeed they might now resting around the table, waiting for us to get there. Amen….Y’all have a good day today.” Pulse of the Planet is presented by DuPont, bringing you the miracles of science, with additional support provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities. I’m Jim Metzner.
All Saint's Day: Rosary Walk
Today is All Saint's Day, when priests in New Orleans walk through cemeteries and bless the tombs. With a priest named Father Tony, the walk is quite an experience.
Air Date:11/01/2001
Scientist:
Transcript:
It's All Saints' Day today, and in New Orleans has its own particular way of honoring the deceased, with reverence and humor. I'm Jim Metzner, and this is the Pulse of the Planet, presented by DuPont. We're in New Orleans' St. Roch cemetery, at an All Saints' Day mass presided over by Father Tony Ricard. "All of us are destined to be saints, and that means that my grandmomma, who I would argue with anybody, is already in heaven. See, today's the day I celebrate her day. Tomorrow is All Souls' Day, that's when I pray for my grandaddy, because we wonder whether or not he'd have made it. But today I celebrate my grandmomma. I don't think the church will ever say, you know, July 4th, which is her birthday, is Anastasia Honore day, but All Saints' Day is her day, 'cause she's one of the ones that never made the list. But it don't make her any less a saint." After the mass, it's the custom in New Orleans' Catholic cemeteries for priests to take what's known as a rosary walk. They'll go amongst the above-ground tombs and bless them with holy water. And as parishioners approach Father Tony to bless the tomb of their loved ones, he finds just the right balance of compassion and levity. "You know, you have the honor of being the first person I have blessed by her grave, before she even got in there....Today's the day you ought to go and have a special dinner. Figure out what Daddy used to like, and then go eat that. Cause you got to celebrate, cause now, he's got to pray for you. All right, well, hang in there... We ask the Lord to bless all those who rest in this place, that indeed they might now resting around the table, waiting for us to get there. Amen....Y'all have a good day today." Pulse of the Planet is presented by DuPont, bringing you the miracles of science, with additional support provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities. I'm Jim Metzner.