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Memorial Day
Memorial Day occurs on the last Monday of May in the U.S. to honor military personnel who died while serving in the Armed Forces. The observance was started in 1868 after the 750,000 deaths of the Civil War with a proclamation by Major General John A. Logan which established a “Decoration Day” on which the nation would remember its war dead and decorate their graves with flowers. The first national Decoration Day celebration took place on May 30, 1868, at Arlington National Cemetery. Memorial Day became a national holiday in 1971.
General Logan’s proclamation of May 5, 1868, suggested that we “cherish tenderly the memory of our heroic dead” and “guard their graves with sacred vigilance.” He asked that we “gather around their sacred remains and garland the passionless mounds above them with choicest flowers of springtime.” So, this Memorial Day, go to a local cemetery where “pleasant paths invite the coming and going of reverent visitors and fond mourners.”
While at the cemetery pray, “Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.”
Civil War Memorial
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St. Anthony Church, Walnut Grove, CA 
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About this site
Wonderful Churches, Shrines & Devotions
This site is for church visitors, travelers, historians and the faithful – especially, those interested in the sacred aspects of the churches and their artifacts – to learn and experience the places, their liturgical furnishings and history.
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architecture posts
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Stained Glass of the Blessed Mother in Denver
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Architectural Columns
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