St. Mark's United Church, Port
Hawkesbury celebrates their 50th Anniversary with a number of events
the weekend of June 10th to 12th. A “Decoration Day” service will
be held on Saturday, June 11th at Southbrook Cemetery at 10:00 a.m.
If the weather is inclement, the service will be held at St. Mark's
and families encouraged to visit and walk the cemetery at another
time during the Anniversary Jubilee Weekend.
Decoration Day is a day set aside for
families and individuals to honour the memories of their loved ones.
Southbrook Cemetery is the final resting place for many people who
were faithful and hardworking members of St Mark's United Church and
prior to that, Zion-Robertson United Church. Leading up to Decoration
Day, the cemetery takes on a new look as people go to clean, repair,
weed and spruce up their family plots. Graves are also decorated with
plants and flowers. Families are being encouraged as far as possible
to use recyclable or returnable cans and plastic containers if they
are placing cut flowers or arrangements on family plots so that staff
can later dispose of them in a respectful and earth-friendly way.
Southbrook Cemetery Board also cautions that saddle floral
arrangements placed on headstones may over time cause the
deterioration of headstones. To facilitate grasscutting and care for
plots and stones, plantings are not encouraged.
Observance of Decoration Day in the
community or church cemetery has a long history in the North American
Christian church. In some places, family plots have been tended to
and “decorated” with fresh cut flowers from family gardens for
generations. St. Mark's United Church is grateful to Southbrook
Cemetery Board for facilitating this special 50th Anniversary worship
service on cemetery grounds. A limited number of chairs will be set
up on the centre laneway of the cemetery, with organized parking of
cars around the perimeter lane, along the street and around the
cemetery vault. Those who are able are asked to bring along a lawn
chair. St. Mark's Men's Group will be providing a light barbecue
lunch (hotdogs and hamburgs) back at the church from 11:00 a.m. to
1:00 p.m.
