For the 30th time, Catholic Cemeteries of the Archdiocese of Chicago, in conjunction with the County Medical Examiner’s Office, buried the remains of indigent people, two unknown people and unborn babies during a service at Mount Olivet Cemetery on June 9. For the first time, those buried included 31 who died from COVID-19.

In total, two unidentified people, 48 unborn babies and the cremated remains of 274 indigent people were interred in the cemetery. Since the first service in 2012, the remains of 1,385 unborn babies and 2,353 adults have been interred. Indigent people are those whose families are unknown or cannot afford burials.

Members of the Cook County Funeral Directors Association volunteered their time to transport the remains in hearses from the medical examiner’s office to the cemetery with an escort from the Cook County Sheriff’s Department.

Each wooden casket contained the remains of several people or unborn children and their names and other vital information printed on white cards affixed to the sides of the casket.

The short service included Scripture readings, intercessory prayer and a blessing of the caskets. Following the service, participants placed red roses on the boxed remains and cemetery staff buried them.

“As we all know, this past year and a half or so has been a difficult time, a time when so many people have felt alienated and alone, all those who have lost contact with their loved ones and the community,” said Father Larry Sullivan, director of Catholic Cemeteries of the Archdiocese of Chicago, during his homily. “It helps all of us to really be aware of the suffering of all those who are alone on a regular basis and the trials and tribulations that they go through.”

The pandemic has increased sympathy and understanding for those who are suffering, he said.

“We’re coming here together as a people of faith and a people who believe in the power of God’s love, who believe in the power of God’s presence here on earth to pray for those who in so many ways have suffered so greatly during this life and we know they are to be treated with a sense of dignity and respect,” he said. “That’s what this service is about.”

“It’s no secret that this has been an especially difficult year for many of our residents, so it’s vital that we ensure that every single person in our community is treated with dignity,” said Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle in remarks during the service. “We have a moral and ethical responsibility to ensure that the decedents under our care are given the respect that every human being deserves as we lay them to rest.”

Every person buried during the service “was somebody,” she added.

“They were mothers and fathers. They were sons and daughters. They were our friends and neighbors. While their circumstances are all unique, today, as members of the same community, we become their family. It falls to us to see them off in a dignified and respectful manner,” Preckwinkle said.

The burials began in early 2012 when the county medical examiner’s office reported a backlog of more than 300 bodies, exceeding its storage capacity. Catholic Cemeteries offered the county 300 graves free of charge. The first such burial at Mount Olivet took place in May 2012.

The section of Mount Olivet reserved for the remains of deceased people unidentified by the examiner’s office, the indigent — those whose loved ones were not found or didn’t have money to bury them — and unborn babies from Stroger Hospital has a black stone marker dedicated in their honor that reads, “This memorial is dedicated to those whose earthly remains were entrusted to the care of the people of Cook County. May their souls rest in peace.”