ALL SOULS
AT MOUNTAIN VIEW CEMETERY
2005 to 2024
HONOURING OLD TRADITIONS | CREATING NEW ONES
“The departed they visit us in dreams. They glide above our memories like shadows over streams.”
– Quote on a headstone in Mountain View Cemetery
From 2005 – 2024, Mountain View Cemetery invited the public to come and remember their dead, in an atmosphere of contemplative beauty, whether buried at Cemetery or not. As a non-denominational sacred event, All Souls offered an opportunity for people to share their own customs and experiences, and create their own traditions.
After 20 years, Mountain View Cemetery – under the direction of the City of Vancouver – has decided to end its relationship with All Souls and the founding artists. In a statement they pledged to “ take time to review our protocols for supporting artist-led sacred events.”
This ending has not been our decision. We are sad and disappointed, specifically on behalf of the many people for whom All Souls at Mountain View Cemetery has been a cornerstone in their personal grief journey.
All Souls has become an important tradition for so many of us in the honouring of family and friends and feeling connected to community. Together we reclaimed and reimagined a part of our human culture, creating a container that held us all in community and common purpose. A temporary village.
We sincerely hope that people for whom it has become an important annual ceremony will keep their traditions alive in their own way, and continue to visit the Cemetery, especially at this time of year, to remember their beloved dead.
We hope the Cemetery will be responsive to future initiatives from artists and members of the public who value the importance of ceremony in our daily lives.
The greater Vancouver community has supported and participated in All Souls at Mountain View Cemetery for two decades. We are both honoured and humbled by the outpouring of gratitude and support for All Souls and the ritual work we have co-created.
Thank you,
Marina Szijarto and Paula Jardine
About All Souls
All Souls at Mountain View Cemetery was conceived by artists Paula Jardine & Marina Szijarto. Over the years, they have been joined by others who have shared their love and regard for their dead.
Past Events
The events that occurred during All Souls at Mountain View Cemetery included music, art, poetry and other creative expressions and the opportunity for the creation of personal shrines and memorials.
Photo Memories
Since its inception, many wonderful photographs have been taken at All Souls at Mountain View Cemetery of the events, the community, the installations and the art both by professionals and by attendees.
You can still find us on Facebook:
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About Mountain View Cemetery
Mountain View Cemetery, located at Fraser Street and East 39th Avenue, opened in 1886 and is the only public cemetery within Vancouver. Owned and operated by the City of Vancouver, the Cemetery is an important civic space and provides interment options and event space. The cemetery is a reflection of Vancouver’s history, serving as the final resting place of almost 150,000 people, including several past mayors, veterans from World Wars, and people representing varied faiths, ethnicities, ages and contributions to Vancouver’s past, present and future.
For more information on the cemetery, visit: vancouver.ca/mountainview .