First Death Café in a Cemetery!

In real estate, it’s always location, location, location. Well, why not for a Death Café? Nothing makes me think more about death and mortality than a cemetery. And face it, some cemeteries are really cool! So, in order to enhance our reflections on death and capitalize on a cool setting (not to mention the Private Events Coordinator is a friend and is giving us free use of their conference room!), Atlanta is hosting their first Death Café in a cemetery. And not just any cemetery: we are hosting Death Café Atlanta in the historic Oakland Cemetery. From their web page, we read the following: 

“Less than a mile from the heart of downtown Atlanta, a hidden treasure, a secret sanctuary, welcomes you. This garden cemetery, founded in 1850, is the final resting place of many of Atlanta's settlers, builders, and most noted citizens …. It is also a showplace of sculpture and architecture, and a botanical preserve with ancient oaks and magnolias. Here in this peaceful place the full scope of the city's rich and fascinating history unfolds before you” ( http://www.oaklandcemetery.com/ ). 

Daughters3 by Casey Russell shot in Oakland Cemetery

Though this will be Atlanta’s first official Death Café, we have already had one unofficial one at St Mark United Methodist Church on Feb 20th (http://www.stmarkumc.org/ ). This occurred due to a cancelation in their Wednesday evening schedule and because I happen to be married to the senior pastor. We had 34 people present ranging in age from 13 to 70+. Topics ranged from the experience of losing loved ones, especially due to AIDS (our church is 90% LGBT), to what one fears most about death and dying, to positive and negative experiences at a funeral, to the use of mediums for contacting dead loved ones, and to what will happen after death—to name a few. The program was exceptionally well received and other groups within the church are already asking to help host others. 

Mark

The hosts for Death Café Atlanta are Mark LaRocca-Pitts, M.Div, PhD, BCC and Bob Duvall, M.Div, BCC. Mark has nearly 15 years’ experience as a hospital chaplain and currently works as a chaplain in hospice. Bob has worked as a hospital chaplain in Atlanta for over 26 years, which has given him many opportunities to take grief education to various communities including middle and high schools. 


Both Mark and Bob have many years of experience working with individuals and groups around death, dying, and grief and both are board certified chaplains (BCC) with the Association of Professional Chaplains (http://www.professionalchaplains.org/ ).


As with all Death Cafés, we have no intention of leading participants to any particular conclusion, product, or course of action. However, as we did at the close of our first unofficial Death Café and as we will in all future ones, we end this with a round of “Happy Trails”.



Happy trails to you, until we meet again.
Happy trails to you, keep smilin' until then.
Who cares about the clouds when we're together?
Just sing a song and bring the sunny weather.
Happy trails to you, 'till we meet again.

Some trails are happy ones,
Others are blue.
It's the way you ride the trail that counts,
Here's a happy one for you.

Happy trails to you, until we meet again.
Happy trails to you, keep smilin' until then.
Who cares about the clouds when we're together?
Just sing a song and bring the sunny weather.

Happy trails to you, 'till we meet again.

Death Café Atlanta will be held on Saturday, March 30th from 3-5 PM in the Conference Room at Oakland Cemetery (248 Oakland Ave SE, Atlanta, GA 30312; 2nd floor of the Visitor’s Center [Bell Tower Building] in the center of the cemetery). Future Death Cafés will follow. Each event is a “stand-alone” event. Everyone is welcome. No reservations. Please visit us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/DeathCafeAtlanta?ref=hl .