Make A Difference

When we hear someone say, “I want to make a difference,” or “Let’s make a difference,” what do we think? 

Words like, inspire hope, effect improvements, take action, change, and move, are just a few descriptions of what is needed to “make a difference.”  

On Friday, September 30th, we had sixth grade students and eighth grade students along with teachers from St. Gertrude Grade School in Madeira, truly “Make a Difference” here at Gate of Heaven Cemetery, Archdiocese of Cincinnati. They respectfully and prayerfully took action cleaning the headstones and footstones in the four, oldest, sections, here at the cemetery – The Priest Mound, The Assumption, St. John Vianney and St. Joseph The Worker.

We started off their valuable time here, at Gate of Heaven, in one of the chapels sharing the history of the cemetery and then they shared specific names in prayer of their loved ones, friends or neighbors interred here, to pray for their souls.

From there, the students filled up their buckets, divided up into those specific four sections in groups, and started gently, cleaning the headstones, and footstones while one of their classmates led them in prayer, to pray for the soul of the faithful departed, individual, or couple.

It was such a beautiful day, with beautiful students and teachers, sharing their hearts, their hands, and their prayers for many, many souls in God’s name. They truly “made a difference!”