Our Lady of Hope Cemetery to host Dia de los Muertos celebration on Saturday

Annual 'Day of the Dead' celebration Oct. 25 to honor loved ones who have gone home to God; hundreds expected to attend

BROWNSTOWN TOWNSHIP — Our Lady of Hope Cemetery is preparing to welcome up to 600 guests Saturday, Oct. 25, for the sixth annual Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration, hosted by Catholic Funeral and Cemetery Services, which operates Catholic cemeteries in the Archdiocese of Detroit.

Dia de los Muertos is an ancient tradition honoring deceased loved ones celebrated across Latin America but with roots in Mexico. It is typically celebrated around the Feast of All Souls, when “we remember the people who have gone ahead of us,” explained Veronica North, the Hispanic outreach manager at Catholic Funeral and Cemetery Services.

The Dia de los Muertos celebration at Our Lady of Hope Cemetery has grown since it was first held six years ago, North said.

The first year it was held, 150 people showed up to visit the graves of loved ones and decorate them. In 2024, the cemetery hosted 500 people. Family members decorate graves with flowers, nonperishable food items and other adornments that honor and remember their loved ones, and a large ofrenda — altar — will be set up in the mausoleum.

“In the mausoleum, we put up the ofrenda, and that is where we put all the pictures of the faithful departed,” North said. “Families who have laid to rest members of their family at Our Lady of Hope are invited to bring a picture of a loved one.”

The event is open to all, whether a loved one is buried at Our Lady of Hope or elsewhere, and festivities will include a Mariachi band, face painting, traditional dancers, food trucks and crafts. Guests are invited to walk the grounds, pray for the dead, and attend a bilingual Mass on site at 4:30 p.m.

While the event engages the Hispanic community and culture in southeast Michigan, North said the traditions behind Dia de los Muertos appeal to those of all backgrounds.

“We have some people who are from other cultures and are not even Spanish speakers who are coming for the beauty of the celebration and the rich tradition,” North explained. ”A friend of mine, whose parents were Polish, comes every year because she loves her father and she really connects with that idea of keeping the memories alive.”

Praying for and burying the dead are among the corporal works of mercy, North added.

“We not only bury the dead, but we pray for the loved ones and we pray for the community,” North said. “We have seen that year by year, people come together to share in memory, love, and pain, too. We have families who come here to continue that tradition of being together to remember their loves ones, pray for their eternal rest and to pray for those who are still here. It offers a sense of community.”