LENEXA — Veterans laid to rest at Resurrection Cemetery here will receive special recognition during the holiday season through the collaborative efforts of the Knights of Columbus at Holy Trinity in Lenexa, Catholic Cemeteries of Northeast Kansas, Wreaths Across America, volunteers and donors.
On Dec. 16 at 11 a.m., there will be a brief ceremony at the Veterans Memorial at Resurrection Cemetery, located at 83rd and Quivira Rd. It is open to the public and will include posting of the colors, an invocation, the Pledge of Allegiance, the National Anthem, guest remarks, Benediction, a 21-gun salute and the playing of taps. Following the ceremony, volunteers will place wreaths on graves of veterans.
The Holy Trinity Knights have been seeking donations to sponsor the wreaths and volunteers to assist with the event. Interested parties can make a donation online at: www.wreaths acrossamerica.org/KS0155P.
Volunteers can register online to assist at: htlenexa.flocknote.com/signup/143138.
Wreaths Across America dates to 1992, when Worcester Wreath Company of Harrington, Maine, had a surplus of wreaths near the end of the holiday season. Remembering his boyhood experience of Arlington National Cemetery, Morrill Worcester, the company owner, seized the opportunity to honor veterans. He made arrangements for the wreaths to be placed in an older section of the national cemetery. Individuals, businesses and organizations assisted with transporting, decorating and placing the wreaths.
In 2005, Wreaths Across America became a national movement and spread across the country to recognize veterans during the holiday season. Every year since 2008, Congress proclaims a Saturday in December as National Wreaths Across America Day. This year’s celebration is Dec. 16. On that day, it is estimated that more than 2 million veterans’ wreaths will be placed across local, national and military cemeteries, veterans’ memorials and historic sites. For more information, go online to: www.wreathsacrossamerica.org.
Catholic Cemeteries of Northeast Kansas is a ministry of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas that manages and operates nine cemeteries in Johnson, Leavenworth and Wyandotte counties, and in Topeka. For more information, call (913) 371-4040; send an email to: information@cathcemks.org; or visit the website at: www.cathcemks.org.
