The Saints in Light

Paul writes that we share in the inheritance of the saints in light through the resurrection of Jesus (Colossians 1:12-14). So, it seems right and fitting that as we approach All Saints Day (November 1) a parishioner who loves genealogy offered to do a search of my family history. This parishioner heard me mention that my wife Malinda, daughter Crystal, and I are going to decorate a gravesite at Christ Church Cathedral’s Old Episcopal Burying Ground for Dia de los Muertos or Day of the Dead (a Mexican version of All Saints Day). My family’s altar at the gravesite will be in honor of our respective grandmothers.

For the past several years, Christ Church Cathedral has partnered with the Living Arts and Science Center in the celebration Dia de los Muertos. It is on November 1 from 5-9 p.m. This event brings together a rich celebration of art, music, dance and food as we remember and honor those who have gone before us. We start at the Living Arts and Science Center, and then process the several blocks to our Old Episcopal Burying Ground where artists, families, and school classes “adopt” and decorate gravesites in remembrance of loved ones, including the Cathedral, which will decorate the gravesite of “Mary Jane,” and the altar inside the cottage.

So, I was particularly struck with what this parishioner found when she researched my family genealogy. One thing I learned perhaps explains why, after only 2 years, I feel so comfortable living Kentucky – I have deep Kentucky roots on both sides of my family. My great great grandfather, John Owens (1823-1895), was born in Bourbon County, Kentucky. A 5th great grandfather, Thomas Herndon, M.D. (1760-1820), a medical doctor and a veteran of the Revolutionary War, lived and died in Stamping Ground, Kentucky near Georgetown, only 20 miles from where I now live. I also learned that another 5th great grandfather, John Osborn (1757-1848), a farmer and saw mill owner, was a Revolutionary War veteran, and his brother was a minister. I guess ministry runs in the family.

When I looked at my family tree, I was also amazed by how many have gone before me. Here are the numbers through 5 great grandparents: 2 (parents), 4 (g’parents), 8 (great g’parents), 16 (great great g’parents), 32 (great great great g’parents), 64 (great great great great g’parents), and 128 (great great great great great g’parents). And the numbers in our direct lineage grow exponentially each generation back.

All Saints Day may be bitter sweet, but I also think it is a joyful celebration of life, the lives of the saints in light, who have gone before us. In our Baptismal Covenant we profess the ancient creed, “I believe…in the communion of saints,…the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.” (Book of Common Prayer, p. 304). All Saints Day is that time when we can tell and retell the stories of our loved ones who have gone before us as we celebrate their lives.