Memorial Day Pilgrimage to continue

"We decorate 19 cemeteries, and we shoot over 12," shared United Veterans Council (UVC) of New Holland member Mike Martin, one of the organizers of the annual Memorial Day Pilgrimage. With the help of area Boy Scout troop members, UVC will plant flags on the graves of more than 1,600 veterans on Saturday, May 24. The caretaker of each of the cemeteries to receive flags coordinates the decorating efforts.

On Monday, May 26, the Ceremonial Units of the UVC of New Holland will conduct the 103rd annual pilgrimage to cemeteries in eastern Lancaster County. Units will form at 6:30 a.m. at the American Legion, 35 S. Hoover Ave., New Holland, and will leave at 6:45 a.m. to conduct services at 12 area cemeteries, followed by a brief ceremony at the Veterans Memorial in the New Holland Community Memorial Park in the 400 block of Jackson Street.

All area veterans are invited to participate in the ceremonies. Members of the UVC would like to see younger veterans get involved in helping to preserve the tradition of the pilgrimage. UVC is open to new members, but membership is not necessary to participate in the pilgrimage. "You don't have to be a member (of UVC), just be a veteran," pointed out Mike, who noted that the number of veterans taking part in the traditional journey has dwindled. Area veterans who wish to participate in the pilgrimage are asked to call Lemar Martin at 717-669-0517. "We like to know ahead of time to schedule color guard and a firing squad," explained Mike.

The approximate time schedule of the ceremonies at each location is Ranck's United Methodist Church at 7 a.m.; Cedar Grove Presbyterian Church at 7:15 a.m.; Bridgeville Evangelical Congregational Church at 7:30 a.m.; Bowmansville Memorial Park at 8 a.m.; St. John Center Lutheran Church at 8:30 a.m.; Terre Hill Community Memorial Park at 8:50 a.m.; Voganville Cemetery at 9:20 a.m.; Groffdale Mennonite Church at 9:35 a.m.; Zeltenreich Reformed Church at 10 a.m.; All Saints Church, New Holland, at 10:20 a.m.; Trinity Lutheran Church, New Holland, at 10:50 a.m.; and St. Stephen Reformed Church, New Holland, at 11 a.m. The pilgrimage will conclude with a ceremony at the Veterans Memorial in New Holland at 11:20 a.m. There will be no speaker in the park following the final ceremony.

The mission of the annual Memorial Day Pilgrimage is to honor military veterans from the community. Members of the New Holland Band take part in the pilgrimage, which includes a ceremony at the grave of the last veteran buried at each cemetery. The family members of that veteran are invited to attend to receive a flower to place on the grave during the ceremony.