Malaysia: All Souls’ Day Brings Families Together to Remember the Departed in Sarawak

Catholics gathered at cemeteries across Sarawak, a state in Malaysian Borneo, on November 2 to pray for deceased family members and friends, as All Souls’ Day observances brought families together for Masses, grave blessings and remembrance.

At St. Ann’s Parish in Kota Padawan, near Kuching, the state capital, Catholics attended a special Mass before visiting the graves of their departed loved ones. Families offered prayers, placed flowers and paid their respects, while priests blessed graves at the parish cemetery.

At In Paradisum Catholic Cemetery, under the jurisdiction of St. Ann’s Church, Friars Don Don Ramerez and Addie Frank blessed the graves as relatives gathered to pray and remember those who had died.

Agnes Sumbing anak Gansi, who attended the observance, said All Souls’ Day reminds Catholics of their responsibility to pray for the dead and entrust them to God’s mercy.

“All Souls’ Day is one of several important dates in the Catholic calendar. It reminds the living of their responsibility to pray for the dead and entrust them to God’s mercy,” she told Radio Veritas Asia.

She said the Church teaches that death does not end the spiritual bond between the living and the departed.

“Through prayer, the Eucharist, and acts of remembrance, Catholics express their hope in the resurrection and eternal life,” she said.

In the week leading up to November 2, roadside flower stalls appeared across Sabah and Sarawak, two Malaysian states on the island of Borneo. Families stopped to buy bouquets and floral arrangements to place on the graves of their deceased relatives.

Visiting cemeteries, decorating graves with flowers and praying for the dead are longstanding traditions in the two states. The annual observance also provides an opportunity for relatives living in different places to reunite and remember their family roots.

Over the years, the occasion has increasingly taken on a communal character alongside its religious significance. Families travel from near and far to gather at cemeteries, pray for their departed relatives and reconnect with one another.

Although All Souls’ Day is a Catholic observance, cemetery visits and remembrance of the dead are also practiced by Christians from other denominations in Sabah and Sarawak, including members of the Anglican Communion and the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

At St. James Anglican Cemetery in Kampong Quop, Kota Padawan, near Kuching, siblings Jenny and Jim Brown Madrod placed flowers on the grave of their late father, Madrod anak Noel. They also lit candles and prayed for the repose of his soul.

Jenny recalled that her father died suddenly on the day of her youngest sister Marilyn’s wedding.

“My late father passed away suddenly on the day of my youngest sister Marilyn’s wedding. It was a happy occasion that turned bittersweet for our family,” she said.

She said visiting his grave brings back memories of the day and the emotions surrounding his death.

“Every time we visit his grave, we are reminded of that day and the emotions surrounding it. There is always a sense of sadness at his absence, but also gratitude for the memories he left behind,” she said.

“All Souls’ Day allows us to remember him, pray for his soul and reflect on the love and memories that continue to keep him close to our hearts,” she added.