Tucked away in a shady corner of All Saints Cemetery, headstones bearing the names Meenan, McCabe, Reilly and more mark the place where the remains of hundreds of citizens who were buried in Old Cathedral Cemetery now lay to rest.
Nearly two dozen people gathered at this spot May 16 to memorialize the Irish souls that were among those who had been moved from Old Cathedral in 1999.
Father Michael Darcy was the celebrant of a 10 a.m. Requiem Mass at the Chapel of the Risen Christ. After the liturgy, a bagpiper led participants in a procession to the resting place of the Irish.
For Father Darcy, it was a return to the past: In May 1999, Darcy — who was then Deacon Darcy — took part in the original re-interment blessing and Mass at the new grave site.
The graves were originally moved in 1998 when expansion took place in the downtown Wilmington area where Old Cathedral Cemetery had been located. While excavating the ground to build an addition to Wilmington Hospital, human remains were discovered that had previously thought to have been removed.
This weekend’s Mass and blessing were coordinated by the Irish Culture Club of New Castle County and Mealy Funeral Home.
The grave of Civil War soldier Bernard McCarren, also a previous Old Cathedral “resident,” was blessed by Father Darcy at the end of the ceremony.
