We meet in the cemetery chapel
A write up of Washington DC Congressional Cemetery Death Cafe
Our 4th death cafe of the year was held on August 8 in the cemetery’s historic chapel. The weather was warm but a welcome cooler respite from recent steamy and stormy evenings here in Washington DC. The cemetery staff put out a lovely spread of sweet treats, and iced tea to welcome participants. As always a few curious dogs ran into the building to see what was going on.
Twenty or so people gathered in a circle in the one-room chapel led by guest facilitator, Liz Gregg, a longtime Capitol Hill resident and end-of-life doula who works at Capitol Hill Village as Director of Volunteer and Care Services.
Liz explained the death cafe concept and then we spent an hour in conversation. Among the topics that arose were fear of death, responding to the grief of our friends, and strategies for initiating conversations about death with family members. In closing, Liz encouraged us to continue the conversation in our lives and communities.
Our next death cafe will be on October 10.