X

A Catholic Eucharistic Community

Calvary Cemetery

A Catholic Cemetery is holy ground, elevated just below the sacredness of the church itself. We come into the Church at Baptism and, at the time of death, Catholics gather to celebrate the Funeral Liturgy and Burial. The Rites of Burial are concluded in a Catholic Cemetery where the bereaved find comfort and strength through the Paschal Hope of Jesus’ passion, death, and resurrection.

“I am the Resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live.” -John 11:25

Just as we celebrate the sacrament of Baptism in a Church when we enter parish life, the burial rite celebrated in a Catholic cemetery completes that Tradition. As Catholics, we believe in the dignity of each person, the importance of Baptism, the reality of the Resurrection of Jesus, the promise of Eternal Life, and the celebration of the Eucharist as the Great Act of Thanksgiving for Redemption.

Located on holy ground, Calvary Cemetery offers a place for quiet reflection, devotion, meditation and prayer. As a Church, we believe in the Communion of Saints and call on the prayers of the faithful to help us in our journey to Heaven.

As part of the Catholic Church, its stability is expected to endure long after private or commercially-run cemeteries. When you choose a Catholic Cemetery, you are laid to rest with people who share the same faith, traditions and heritage. Giving your loved one a proper burial is a Corporal Work of Mercy and an act of love.

The early Church was one of martyrs, the first being the Lord Jesus himself. Early Christians regarded the burial site of the martyrs as sacred places, and in many cases built churches at these locations. The Catholic Church has a long tradition of burial rites dating back to its earliest days, when the burial of deceased Christians took place in the catacombs of Rome.

It was in those same catacombs that the early Christians gathered for the breaking of the Eucharist. The Church marked the burial of the faithful with special rituals and held burial grounds to be sacred traditions that the Church has preserved until the present time.

At the time of death, Catholics are called upon to think about the body as a Temple of the Holy Spirit, nourished at the Eucharistic table and filled with grace at Baptism and Confirmation. The death of a Catholic is celebrated at a Funeral Liturgy, where the bereaved will find comfort and strength in the Eucharist, celebrated for them on behalf of their deceased relative or friend.

Following the celebration of the Funeral Liturgy, the Rites conclude with the burial in a Catholic Cemetery. It is here that the body is laid to rest among fellow believers of the same faith community; professing the same conviction that one day body will reunite with soul, and whole persons will rise again in glory to be with the Risen Lord and the Kingdom of God will be fully realized.

Calvary Cemetery is not a commercial or civic enterprise, but an institution of the Church, operated and maintained as a sacred trust. The Church buries the bodies of the faithful with great respect and solemn rites because we believe that, in life, the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and is therefore a sacred vessel. We also believe that the bodies of those who believed in Christ will be raised and restored to glory when he returns on the last day.

We are committed to:

  • Comforting and assisting families while making end-of-life plans
  • Providing compassionate service before the time of need, at the time of need or long after
  • Maintaining our facilities with an anticipation of the needs and desires of those we serve.
  • Preserving this resting place as a symbol of our Catholic Faith.
  • Offering a place for quiet seclusion, contemplative reflection and meditation where prayers are offered for the eternal rest of all those who have gone before us.