"Dia de los Muertos" Mass Celebrated on US-Mexico Border

On Saturday, November 2, hundreds of individuals from the Catholic dioceses of El Paso, Texas, Las Cruces, New Mexico, and Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico, celebrated All Souls Day — more commonly known as “Dia de los Muertos.” The outdoor celebration is unique since it is held right at the border of the United States and Mexico, a chain-link fence separating the people on the Mexican side from those on the US side.

This celebration has been conducted since 1999 through the coordination of the bishops in the border region. More specifically, this mass is connected to the hundreds of deaths of migrants trying to cross the border via the dangerous desert pathways. The bishops stated in their joint Pastoral Letter, “We recognize the need and sovereignty to protect our border . . . [however] we seek a border protection that is humane, targeted, and proportional.”

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