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Blessing of Oakland Scheduled During All Saints Sunday Event

October 30, 2008

Monsignor Earl Provenza will offer a blessing of historic Oakland Cemetery at 3:30 p.m. during the All Saints Sunday Tour of the cemetery. The event on Sunday, Nov. 2, will feature students and community volunteers portraying “residents” of Oakland.

During the yellow fever epidemic of 1873 many people were buried without funeral ceremonies, said Dr. Gary Joiner. “It seemed appropriate to solicit the help of a Catholic priest to perform this blessing because the Catholic priests were so involved in helping the ill during that horrible epidemic,” he said. “In about two weeks one-fourth of Shreveport’s population died of yellow fever. They had so many bodies that they were unable to bury them individually and that is why we have the yellow fever mound at the cemetery.”

The self-guided tour, a benefit for the Oakland Cemetery Preservation Society, will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. All proceeds will benefit the organization that is charged with restoration and preservation of this, Shreveport’s oldest cemetery. The cost is $10 for adults and $1 for children.