Cemetery Sunday

Cemetery Sunday is an annual Roman Catholic observance on which the parish priest blesses the graves in the local cemetery and leads paishioners in devotions or celebrates Mass. Parishioners typically prepare by cleaning the family grave plot. In the United States, Cemetery Sunday is the first Sunday in November, around the time of All Souls' Day on 2 November. In Ireland, the date varies by parish, and is typically in summer, when the chance of fine weather for an outdoor Mass is best. In some parishes, Cemetery Sunday coincides with Pattern Sunday.