ROYAL PALM BEACH | The 11th annual No One Buried Alone memorial service is scheduled for noon Wednesday, July 6, at Our Lady Queen of Peace Cemetery, 10941 Southern Blvd. in Royal Palm Beach. Father Gabriel Ghanoum, director of spiritual and palliative care at JFK Medical Center in Atlantis since 2010, will be the celebrant.
Father Ghanoum, who is also pastor of St. Nicholas Melkite Greek Catholic Parish in Delray Beach, began spearheading an initiative in 2011 to give a dignified burial to deceased abandoned individuals, many of whom died without any human contact. The No One Buried Alone ministry was founded by Father Ghanoum and Adriana Gorrondona of the Palm Beach County Department of Human Services, in cooperation with Our Lady Queen of Peace Cemetery.
Since its inception, Father Ghanoum has claimed hundreds of cremated remains, including miscarried and stillborn babies, children and adults of all ages, races and religious affiliations, from various funeral homes throughout the Diocese of Palm Beach, and has seen to their proper burial at the cemetery.
Father Ghanoum will conduct a compassionate burial service inside the chapel for 111 individuals who will be interred in the Crypt of St. Joseph of Arimathea. James Green, director of community services at Palm Beach County Human Services, is expected to attend with other officials from the department. For more information about the cemetery and the No One Buried Alone ministry, visit https://ourqueen.org/no-one-buried-alone/.
