All Souls Day Around the Diocese: Ofrendas and Remembrance Walls

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Students at The Madeleine Choir School, with the help of the Spanish teachers, created an ofrenda dedicated to all the faithful departed. The students and school community members created the decorations by hand.

Several Catholic schools, parishes and other organizations in Utah pay tribute to their loved ones who have passed away by observing the Hispanic tradition of Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead). For this celebration they erect an ofrenda, or home altar,  where they display pictures and mementos of the departed, along with decorations that represent the four elements. The celebration is typically held Nov. 1-2, which in the Catholic Church calendar are All Saints Day and All Souls Day, respectively, feasts that honor those who have died and gone before, marked with the sign of faith.