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St. Kevin parish grounds staffer Irma Moncado, left, encouraged the parish to create this Dia de Los Muertos altar to remember loved ones. Moncado is pictured near individual photos of her mother and father. (Photos by Debra Greenblat/Catholic San Francisco)
Nov. 1, 2019
In Irma Moncado’s native Mexico, creating altars commemorating loved ones who have passed on to another life is part of an annual celebration known as Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead).
During the multi-day holiday observance from Oct. 31 through Nov. 2, All Souls Day, families and friends gather to pray for and remember those who have died to support them spiritual journey. Creating colorful altars in homes and public spaces featuring photos with personal mementos of the deceased is part of celebration.
On Oct. 31, Moncado showed Catholic San Francisco the traditional tiered altar she helped the parish construct in its sanctuary. The altar is dotted with orange and yellow paper marigolds, a flower known in Mexico as “cempasúchil,” and other personal mementos of the dead.
Marigolds, or flowers in general, also represent the fragility of life. It is believed that the spirits of the dead visit the living during the celebration. Marigolds guide the spirits to their altars using their vibrant colors and pungent scent.
Moncado arranged a white cloth on the altar to visually extend it to accommodate additional photos that people would bring over the three-day holiday. The top row included photographs of a succession of the parish’s former pastors and Bishop Robert F. Christian, OP, who died last July.
Bishop Christian “was a friend of St. Kevin Parish,” Moncado said.