Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre led the annual All Souls’ Mass at Calvary Cemetery on November 3, encouraging Catholics to reflect on their baptism and the promise of eternal life. The outdoor liturgy, held under a tent in the priest’s section of the cemetery, was attended by about 100 people. The Mass was dedicated to those buried in Calvary Cemetery as well as others laid to rest elsewhere.

“We come here as those who remember them, we come here as those who love them, we come here as those who pray for them, that they might know eternal rest and peace,” Archbishop Fabre said during his homily.

Marking the 62nd anniversary of his own baptism, Archbishop Fabre highlighted its significance: “Baptism is a very important part of the reason that brings us here today. It is our sure and certain faith that at the time of the baptism of all our beloved dead, that God made them a promise that one day they would live with him forever.”

He noted that symbols from baptism are present again at funeral Masses—including the paschal candle, baptismal water, and white funeral pall—which serve as reminders of God’s promise. “All of those images of baptism … comfort us that God has fulfilled the promise he made to them that one day they would live with him forever,” he said.

Archbishop Fabre also connected this message to the Jubilee Year of Hope. He referenced Pope Leo XIV’s recent Angelus reflection from November 2: “Remembering the dead is a sign of hope, hope in our faith, I believe, that God is faithful, that God has fulfilled his promise to all of our beloved dead. That, yes, God will also one day fulfill his promise made to you and to me when we finally make our bed in this sacred ground or somewhere like it, when he calls you and me home to be with him forever.”

He added that Pope Leo encouraged visits to cemeteries as opportunities for peaceful reflection on faith and divine promises.

“When we come here, it is an expression of our hope,” Archbishop Fabre said. “As the pope so beautifully said, ‘Our hope is the promises God has made to us and the hope God has fulfilled for all who rest here.’ ”