As service to their community, seniors in the Theology course, “Dying and Rising,” cleaned the King Street cemetery on Nov. 29.

Priests, brothers and sisters of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts are buried in the cemetery, and the service is a way to remember them, especially on the Thanksgiving weekend. Many of those buried in the cemetery came from far away, many from Europe, and have no family here.

Senior Alexia Nono said, ”From cleaning the graveyard, I learned to respect the dead and to maintain a clean burial place for people even if I don’t know them. By spending time in the cemetery, I read a lot of tombstones and felt like I got to know those who were buried there.”

Students weeded, raked and removed trash from the area between graves and near the gravestones.

Senior Minami Inafuku said, “I actually enjoyed my time at the cemetery. It was really peaceful. Also, my dad makes flower arrangements, so it was nice to see where his flowers go after he has made them.”

Theology teachers Leilani Asuncion-Tagupa and Sisters Katherine Francis Miller and Irene Barboza accompanied the students.

Sr. Katherine said, “We clean the King Street cemetery because it has historical resonance with the Academy. It was a way to give back to those who so generously gave their time to the Sacred Hearts Congregation. We hope the girls feel the historical connection between those buried at the cemetery and themselves.

“Hopefully, the girls learned about the connectedness that we have as a community. Like the song, ‘The Circle of Life,’ we are here to care for one another as one big family in Christ,” said Sr. Katherine.