Catholics across the Arlington diocese honored and prayed for America’s fallen members of the armed services Dec. 17, during wreath-laying events at Arlington National Cemetery, the St. Mary of Sorrows Church cemetery in Fairfax and at Alexandria National Cemetery. The ceremonies, held in conjunction with the nationwide Wreaths Across America campaign, demonstrated civic virtue and renewed an article of faith that dates back millennia.
In Alexandria, approximately 1,200 people lined up outside the Old Town cemetery, waiting their turn to adorn veterans’ headstones with large Christmas wreaths with bright-red ribbons. Participants included Knights of Columbus from Potomac Assembly 2204, Basilica of St. Mary Church parishioners in Boy Scout Troop 301 and Cub Scout Pack 301, and the American Heritage Girls Troop 1381 from St. Rita Church in Alexandria.
The event organizers, the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 609, said approximately 4,200 veterans are buried in the cemetery, which dates back to the Civil War. Wreaths are financed through sponsorships obtained by volunteers.
When the St. Rita troop attended their first ceremony at the Alexandria cemetery in 2012, there were 400 wreaths available. The girls were instructed to place a wreath on every third grave to stretch the supply as far as possible across the graveyard. After the experience, they set a goal of raising enough money to ensure that every Christian grave received a wreath, according to Dori Rutherford, a longtime parent volunteer. In 2021, the troop sponsored the fourth-most wreaths of any organization in Virginia and this year they generated 1,534 wreath sponsorships.
VFW Post 609 Commander Gerald P. “Jerry” Krueger said that the event’s success is powered by many organizations and patriotic citizens, and that the St. Rita troop is often the largest contributing organization by far. The troop plays “such an important part” in helping veterans service organizations, such as the VFW, American Legion and the Association of the U.S. Navy, draw civic-minded public volunteers to “come out on a single day in December to remember, honor and teach about the local Alexandria area heroes buried at the Alexandria National Cemetery to ensure that no veteran is forgotten,” he said.
The project is personal for many of the girls who are also members of military families, and underscores Catholic teaching on praying for the dead.
This tradition is rooted in Scripture. In the second book of Maccabees, following a series of battles, Jewish soldiers led by Judas Maccabeus prepare to bury their lost brothers in arms. They had secretly worn amulets honoring false gods, meaning they died while guilty of idolatry. The soldiers began praying for the forgiveness of this sin and took up a collection to support a sacrificial offering in Jerusalem for the same intention.
This Scriptural account of praying for the dead is part of the catechism’s articulation of the Catholic doctrine of purgatory — the afterlife purging of sin to prepare one for admittance into heaven. “Thus (Judas) made atonement for the dead that they might be absolved from their sin” (2 Macc. 12:46).
“We discuss and incorporate the works of mercy into our troop activities,” said Rutherford. “We cultivate praying for and supporting others. The girls learn that participation in Wreaths Across America allows them to perform an important spiritual work of mercy, praying for the living and the dead, which entrusts us all into God’s care.”
Sixth grader Cate Rutherford was the troop’s top fundraiser, obtaining 249 wreath sponsorships. “Praying for our fallen soldiers brings them closer to heaven and us, too,” she said.
Nora Carrington, a fellow sixth-grader, is a perennial leader in wreath sponsorships. She credits the advice her late father, John, a sales executive, gave her in the second grade, to craft a short pitch and stick to it. Now she has it down pat: “Hi, my name is Nora Carrington and I’m an American Heritage Girl in Troop 1381, and we’re selling wreaths to put on the soldiers’ graves at Christmas. You can sponsor a wreath for $15. Please consider sponsoring one or more wreaths for Christmas this year.”
She said it was gratifying to see all the work pay off once it’s time to lay wreaths. “It’s kind of fun to be out and to know that you’re honoring people who died for the country.”
Schweers can be reached at [email protected].
