WEB EXCLUSIVE Students gathered in the Chapel today to celebrate the Mexican holiday — Día de los Muertos —  and to honor dead family members and loved ones.

“It is a rich tradition, not only in Mexico, but in the United States and Latin America,” theology teacher Bryan Lorentz said. “The space that we held at chapel today was meant to both honor the specific tradition of Día de los Muertos and to include  other religious traditions that students claim.”

Students and faculty were invited to say the names of loved ones out loud and share a memory they had of them. The chapel also included singing accompanied by Lorentz on guitar, making paper mache flowers and decorating the altar of the Chapel with pictures of those who have passed away.

“It is a human celebration of life and of holiness and of sacred passing from this life into the next,” Lorentz said. “We witnessed students who, with joy and some sadness, shared stories of their loved ones that have died.”

Members of the People Of Color Student Union also recited a traditional Mexican prayer in Spanish and English in honor of the holiday.

“My family usually celebrates by going to the Mission, going to see the altars, dressing up and then we remember those that we lost,” POCSU member Jacqueline Guevara said. “It is an opportunity to all feel connected.”

The Mexican tradition starts on Oct. 31 and ends Nov. 2.

“I think it is really important for everyone in our community to learn more about events and cultures that they may not celebrate at home or know much about,” LIFE Representative Laura Mogannam said. “In the end it brings us closer to each other.”