Large crowds celebrate All Souls Day at memorial parks in western Sydney

Thousands attended the Filipino All Souls Day services at three memorial parks in western Sydney last Saturday. Graves were blessed, and prayers were offered for the departed. 

All Souls Day – also known as Day of the Dead – is a day of prayer and remembrance dedicated to the departed, which is observed by Roman Catholics and other Christian denominations annually on 2 November.

To mark the occasion, Pinegrove and Forest Lawn memorial parks each hosted a ‘Filipino All Souls Day’ on Saturday 29 October, while a Blessing of the Graves took place at Castlebrook Memorial Park.  

Thousands of Filipino-Australians have attended the services over the years, first in November 1995 at Pinegrove Memorial Park. 

In the Philippines, around 90 per cent of the population are Christians, with the overwhelming majority Catholics. 

Proud Filipino Aileen Labiga, who coordinated the services at Pinegrove, Castlebrook and Forest Lawn memorial parks, said All Souls Day is an important occasion in her culture in which it is tradition to attend the gravesites of loved ones and pray for them. 

“We need to pray for the soul of our departed loved ones that their souls may rest in eternal peace in the Kingdom of our Heavenly Father,” Ms Labiga explained.  

“In the Philippines, All Souls Day is a public holiday, and everyone goes to clean tombs and offer food, candles and flowers.”

Located in an area home to a strong Filipino population, both Pinegrove and Forest Lawn memorial parks have long attracted large crowds to their traditional All Souls Day Mass.

Families attend the Memorial Mass, followed by blessings of the graves.

“The families wait for the priest to come with the holy water and say a prayer over the tombstone,” Ms Labiga explained. 

They are also encouraged to write down the names of their departed loved ones to be included in the mass offerings, petitions and prayers. 

The Memorial Mass is not just for those who are interred in Sydney’s memorial parks but also for those who were left back in the Philippines.

More than 1,000 people turned up at the Pinegrove Memorial Park service. A Holy Mass was held from 10am to 12pm last Saturday, 29 October, at North and West Chapel, with Reverend Reginaldo (Reggie) Lavilla MSP, leading the service. Ten Filipino priests concelebrated the Mass.

Father Nards Mercene conducted the Filipino Mass at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, with more than 300 people gathered for the service from 2 pm to 4 pm. 

Father Bong Pamintuan was at Castlebrook Memorial Park for the Blessing of the Graves from 2 pm to 4 pm.

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