All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day Celebration

Additional Information

The Mt. Olivet Cemetery Association invites the public to participate in its annual All Saints’/Souls’ Day Celebration on Sunday, October 28, from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.  The celebration is free and open to the public.

All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day have been celebrated for thousands of years by various cultures and religions around the world to pay homage to deceased family members. Research reveals customs include the lighting of candles and the offering of prayers for loved ones, the cleaning and decorating of family members’ graves, and the sharing of food with friends and family at the cemetery.

The setting for the celebration will be historic Mt. Olivet Cemetery located at 2340 Fulton Avenue (Route T), in Hannibal, MO.  A memorial balloon release ceremony, co-sponsored by the James O’Donnell Funeral Home, will be held at the chapel area at 2:45 pm.  Jim O’Donnell explains, “Our goal is to celebrate the lives of those who have passed while providing a means of comfort and healing to family and friends.”

Those interested in participating in the balloon release are asked to meet at the chapel between 2:00 and 2:30 to personalize a balloon tag in honor of their loved ones.  Tim Goodman, minister of Clover Road Christian Church, will officiate.  In the shadows of the beautiful stained-glass windows, Pamela Reed-Wilde will be playing the antique pump organ for chapel visitors.

In keeping with tradition, after the ceremony family and friends are invited to decorate loved ones’ graves for the winter season then join in an old-fashioned wiener roast around the warmth of a bon-fire.

For history buffs, the cemetery staff will offer hay-ride tours of the grounds, highlighting many of Hannibal’s historic figures buried at Mt. Olivet, including Clemens, Coontz, Dulany, Garth, Gideon, Helm, Mahan, Robards, Stowell, and Faurot. Others may enjoy a scavenger hunt for the various symbolism carved into the older, ornate monuments.

“We want everyone to experience what we believe is one of Hannibal’s best-kept secrets, the beauty and history that is Mt. Olivet.  Mt. Olivet was designed by the original board of directors as a ‘harmonious union of nature and art,’ a place where early records reveal area residents came to ‘recreate and remember.’ To that end, we invite everyone, regardless of where their loved one is buried, to come participate in our All Souls’/Saints’ Day Celebration,” Donna Brown, office manager of Mt. Olivet.

While this event is free and open to the public, organizers ask that you please call Mt. Olivet Cemetery at 573-221-0655 for more information and to reserve balloon(s). More details can also be found on-line at www.jamesodonnellfuneralhome.com. It is suggested that participants bring lawn chairs and/or blankets.