Death Awareness

Please Note

The cemetery is closed to dogs every Saturday from
11:00 AM to 3:00 PM

The cemetery is closed to dogs every Saturday from
11:00 AM to 3:00 PM

Death Cafe

Historic Congressional Cemetery Chapel 1801 E Street, Southeast, Washington, DC, United States

As an active burial ground, Historic Congressional Cemetery is well acquainted with death. But just what is a Death Cafe? Death Cafe is a global movement facilitating thoughts and discussion [...]

Death Doula Days

Historic Congressional Cemetery 1801 E Street, Southeast, Washington, DC, United States

Our special drop in guest will be Nadine Seiler, the “accidental curator of Black Lives Matter Memorial Fence. As always when we have a special guest for Q&A this is from 10:30am to 11:30am. You are welcome, of course, to arrive or leave any time during Death Doula Day office hours 10am until noon.

Death Doula Days

Historic Congressional Cemetery 1801 E Street, Southeast, Washington, DC, United States

Our special drop in guest will be Leigh Pickering, who is responsible for the living parts of our favorite cemetery grounds: the gardens, the grass, the trees, and of course the bugs and bioorganisms that populate and pollinate the grounds and beyond. As always when we have a special guest for Q&A this is from 10:30am to 11:30am. You are welcome, of course, to arrive or leave any time during Death Doula Day office hours 10am until noon.

Death Doula Days

Historic Congressional Cemetery 1801 E Street, Southeast, Washington, DC, United States

No one likes to talk about dying, right? We do! Bring your curiosity, your courage, and a sense of humor as we sit around the table at the gatehouse (almost) every Saturday in 2023 to explore our worries and wonderment about mortality. Join our new death doula in residence for a weekly series of conversations and workshops about the end of life. Guests will include those who sit with the dying, care for our bodies, and help those we will leave behind. We will work on projects like organizing our digital lives, documenting our wishes, and telling our life stories. We will play games, do projects, hear musicians, meet artists, and hear from scholars who explore the end of life in their work. Our goal is to explore a 'death positive' way to think about our mortality. You never know who you’ll meet around the table, but each person who enters the room is a gift to the event. Cake and tea provided. Donations to our host, Historic Congressional Cemetery, are warmly encouraged. By facing our fear of death we aim to best enjoy every breath.

Death Doula Days

Historic Congressional Cemetery 1801 E Street, Southeast, Washington, DC, United States

Our special drop in guest will be A.J. Orlikoff, Congressional Cemetery’s own Director of Public Engagement, for a Q&A on military death. As always when we have a special guest for Q&A this is from 10:30am to 11:30am. You are welcome, of course, to arrive or leave any time during Death Doula Day office hours 10am until noon.

Death Doula Days

Historic Congressional Cemetery 1801 E Street, Southeast, Washington, DC, United States

This Saturday’s topic is “What is Loving End of Life Preparation?” Our special drop in guests will be Catherine, Death Project Manager; Gabby Jimenez, The Hospice Heart ; and Lisa Pahl of TheDeathDeck. As always when we have special guests for Q&A this is from 10:30am to 11:30am. You are welcome, of course, to arrive or leave any time during Death Doula Day office hours 10am until noon.

Death Doula Days

Historic Congressional Cemetery 1801 E Street, Southeast, Washington, DC, United States

This Saturday’s topic is: Bodies above and below ground (special guest, Margaret Canilang) Our special drop in guest will be Margaret Canilang, HCC Director of Conservation. As always when we have a special guest for Q&A this is from 10:30am to 11:30am. You are welcome, of course, to arrive or leave any time during Death Doula Day office hours 10am until noon.

Death Cafe

Historic Congressional Cemetery Chapel 1801 E Street, Southeast, Washington, DC, United States

As an active burial ground, Historic Congressional Cemetery is well acquainted with death. But just what is a Death Cafe? Death Cafe is a global movement facilitating thoughts and discussion [...]

Death Doula Days

Historic Congressional Cemetery 1801 E Street, Southeast, Washington, DC, United States

Our special drop in guest will be our own Kitty Linton, HCC’s social media contributor and photographer. You are welcome, of course, to arrive or leave any time during Death Doula Day office hours 10am until noon. Kitty is a professional photographer originally from London, England and when she's not taking photos of the cemetery, she is documenting the living.

Death Doula Days

Historic Congressional Cemetery 1801 E Street, Southeast, Washington, DC, United States

No one likes to talk about dying, right? We do! Bring your curiosity, your courage, and a sense of humor as we sit around the table at the gatehouse (almost) every Saturday in 2023 to explore our worries and wonderment about mortality. Join our new death doula in residence for a weekly series of conversations and workshops about the end of life. Guests will include those who sit with the dying, care for our bodies, and help those we will leave behind. We will work on projects like organizing our digital lives, documenting our wishes, and telling our life stories. We will play games, do projects, hear musicians, meet artists, and hear from scholars who explore the end of life in their work. Our goal is to explore a 'death positive' way to think about our mortality. You never know who you’ll meet around the table, but each person who enters the room is a gift to the event. Cake and tea provided. Donations to our host, Historic Congressional Cemetery, are warmly encouraged. By facing our fear of death we aim to best enjoy every breath.

Death Doula Days

Historic Congressional Cemetery 1801 E Street, Southeast, Washington, DC, United States

This is our final Death Doula Day activity for 2023. This end of year session in our end of life topic will be a celebration and a remembrance of an extraordinary project. Come with a dish to share for a Death Doula Day community meal, from 11am to 1pm.Come remember the activities, the guests, the conversations we engaged in over the year and reconnect with others who have been with us one time, many times, or even haven't been able to attend but always wanted to!

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