San Francisco All Saints Day Celebrations 2020

Above: The altar prepared by the Sisters in the Presentation Motherhouse in San Francisco honoring all the San Francisco Sisters who have passed away.

Submitted by Sister Rosina Conrotto

On November 1, 2020, the Feast of All Saints, Presentation Sisters Ellen Cafferty, Giovanna Campanella, Judy Cunningham and Rosina Conrotto from the Motherhouse community joined Sisters Anita Torres and Sylvia Llerena from the Treat Avenue community to decorate the gravesites of Sisters of the Presentation, San Francisco, at Holy Cross Cemetery in Colma, California. They were greeted by a wonderful surprise as students from Mercy High School in Burlingame, California, having cleaned all the markers for the deceased Sisters of Mercy, came to the Presentation Sisters’ plot and scrubbed all those headstones clean as well. Catherine McCauley, foundress of the Mercy Sisters, and Nano Nagle must have been delighted at their generous, thoughtful act.

In addition to the trip to Holy Cross Cemetery, the motherhouse sisters also prepared two altars to commemorate those who have died.  The first honors deceased family members and friends; the second is in remembrance of our deceased sisters.  The altars will be up for the month of November.

The Sisters of the Presentation plot at Holy Cross Cemetery in Colma, California, generously cleaned by Mercy High School students and lovingly decorated by Presentation Sisters for the Feast of All Saints.

The altar prepared by Sisters in the Presentation motherhouse in San Francisco commemorating friends and family who have passed away in celebration of All Saints Day.