City of Austin

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Release Date:

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the world and our community. Over 465,000 people in the US have died due to COVID-19 with over 685 deaths in Travis County. The City of Austin will come together with Interfaith Action of Central Texas for a virtual memorial service to remember those who have died.  

“Remembrance for Those We’ve Lost” begins at 3:00 pm, Sunday, February 28, 2021 via Microsoft Teams and on the Austin Parks & Recreation Department's YouTube channel and Facebook page. This interfaith service of secular and non-secular memorials will honor and give thanks to the lives of the many people who have died and the families of loved ones affected by COVID-19.

The service is a collaboration of the City of Austin, Travis County, Community Advancement Network, Austin Community College, Interfaith Action of Central Texas, the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center, Oakwood Cemetery Chapel and other partner organizations. The service includes prayers, music and practices from diverse traditions including Bahá'í, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, Protestant, Buddhist, Catholic, Sikh, Unitarian, Indigenous peoples as well as secular remembrances.

Simone Talma Flowers, Executive Director of iACT, who collaborated with Dr. Nora Comstock on the concept of the Remembrance service, said  “we will come together to remember every life lost to COVID-19, and to bring healing and closure in our hearts for all the loss we have experienced this past year.” The mission of Interfaith Action of Central Texas (iACT) is to cultivate peace and respect through interfaith dialogue, service and celebration. Dr. Nora Comstock, Las Comadres Para Las Americas, Austin Community College Trustee, and immediate past chair for the Community Advancement Network's Community Council, added, “We will remember each life lost to COVID and during this time of the pandemic!”

Service will be available on:

More information can be found at austintexas.gov/event/remembrance-those-weve-lost.

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