HELP WANTED - Cemetery Clean Up Days

Each Fall we offer a free tour of St. Patrick Cemetery sharing the story of the Irish pioneers who settled our city.  This year's tour is Saturday, October 3rd at 10 am.  In order to get ready there's a lot of work to be done.  Namely we have to clean the previous year's growth of sod and clippings off the oldest slate and marble stones.  It's not easy work, and if it wasn't for a few trusty volunteers these stones would disappear.  On top of this Dr Murphy from Belfast, N. Ireland will be visiting to photograph our stones for a book she will be publishing.  In order to prepare for the tour and Dr Murphy, we will have 3 cleaning dates; Saturday September 5 and 12.  We'll meet about 9 am (it gets very sunny later in the day).  If you can, please bring plastic scrapers and brushes.  Be sure to wear a hat and sunscreen.  Don't forget your water!

This year we have another special cleaning date; Saturday, September 26.  We're calling that Alumni Day.  Walter and Karen Hickey have found dozens and dozens of graves belonging to the different order of nuns who taught school in Lowell, including St Patrick's, Immaculate Conception, and Sacred Heart.  When Karen and Walter found the stones they were sunken and almost invisible.  They have put hours in using probes to locate the stones that have sunk into the ground.  We thought it appropriate to call on those who were taught by these women to give a little time to reclaim their places of rest.  If you saw the condition of the Sisters' lots, your heart would be moved.  If you can come on any of the dates, we sure could use your help to clean off the markers.  "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few."

If you think you can sign up for any of the dates just let us know on our FB page.  Thank you.

BUT don't forget Dick Howe's tour dates of the Lowell Cemetery: Friday, September 25, 2015 at 1 pm, Saturday, September 26, 2015 at 10 am, Friday, October 16, 2015 at 1 pm, Saturday, October 17, 2015 at 10 am.