Because of our
belief in the resurrection of the body, in some
shape or form, at the end of time.
The Catholic
Cemetery is a sacred place, consecrated ground. It
holds the physical body once the temple of the Holy
Spirit, until the lord comes again in glory. Just as
the human body deserves to be treated with dignity
and respect in life, so should it be treated in
death. The Catholic Cemetery offers burial in a
place where dignity and respect and the sacredness
of life are witnessed to. It is a place where the
faithful continue their witness to the entire world
of the Good News of Jesus Christ and the hope we
share in resurrection.
The Catholic
Cemetery offers a place for ritual prayer, such as
the Rite of Committal for the dead and the
celebration of the Eucharist. It is also a place for
private prayer and reflection.
CATHOLIC
CEMETERIES IN MEMPHIS – 156 YEARS OF
SERVICE
►
It all began on a
spring day in 1849 when the first burial
took place in St. Peter Cemetery. It
continues today in Calvary Cemetery and
All Saints Cemetery and Mount Calvary
Cemetery in Jackson.
►
St. Peter Cemetery
was established shortly after the
development of St. Peter Parish. At one
time it was known as the finest example
of a rural cemetery in the Mid South. It
had many gardens, plantings, and
walkways. St. Peter Cemetery was closed
in 1896 and those remains that could be
found were transferred to Calvary
Cemetery.
►
Calvary Cemetery
was established in 1867 to serve the
large number of immigrant Catholics from
many parts of Europe. Msgr. Martin
Riordan, the Vicar General of the
Diocese and pastor of St. Patrick’s
Church, was the guiding force behind
Calvary’s development. Over fifty
thousand of the faithful departed are
buried in Calvary representing virtually
every Catholic family that has lived in
Memphis in the past 130 years.
►
Mount Calvary
Cemetery in Jackson started in 1883 to
serve the rapidly developing St. Mary’s
parish in Jackson. Many of the current
families of St. Mary have several
generations buried in the Mount Calvary
Cemetery.
►All Saints Cemetery
was opened in 1993 to serve the burial
needs of the many Catholics who now
reside in the east part of Shelby
County. A unique part of the cemetery is
a burial garden for cremated remains
that before Vatican II was simply not
permitted.
►
The Catholic
cemeteries do over 300 burials and
entombments a year and have space to
serve many thousands more. The Catholic
Cemeteries, Diocese of Memphis,
faithfully serving for 156 years.
