Every year, the UH community gathers to celebrate the lives of former students, faculty, staff and alumni.
The Day of Remembrance is a tradition coordinated by the A.D. Bruce Religion Center that reflects on the lives and contributions of Cougars who have passed away in the past year. The event will start at noon on Tuesday in the University Chapel and will last roughly 30 minutes, with a reception following.
“We’re honoring Cougar Nation — any student, any staff, any alum,” A.D. Bruce Religion Center manager Bruce Twenhafel said. “We’re here to honor their lives… it’s important to celebrate their contribution.”
Over 1,000 names will be called at the event, all treated with equal importance and none singled out, according to Twenhafel.
The interfaith service will also include several readings and a lighting of candles, closing with the singing of the alma mater.
The program also offers an educational aspect through an array of readings that explain how several belief systems deal with death. Twenhafel — who organizes the event — said it’s an opportunity to learn about and connect with different beliefs and that he believes this tradition is essential to the spirit of the University, having been a UH tradition for many years.
“We’re a family; families have traditions and celebrations,” Twenhafel said. “Every society has traditions for birth, milestones and death—we’re no different.”
