A Catholic Cemetery is a sacred place, set aside by the church for the burial of the faithful and reflects the church’s teachings and traditions on the corporal aspects of the human person. Our cemeteries give witness to the final resurrection and symbolizes our faith which tells us that for the faithful, life is changed, not ended. The Catholic Cemetery is an extension of the parish community where those who have worshipped together if life now rest together, peacefully awaiting Christ’s return.
In this area of the cemetery lie men of the Catholic faith who served in the Armed Forces of the United States in times of war.
”To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven.”
Ecclesiastes 3:1
The first Catholic Cemetery was purchased from the village of Kalamazoo on June 30, 1862. The cemetery was called Riverside, a name already given to the village part of the grounds. In 1888, a new cemetery became a necessity, and a nearby site was chosen. The new cemetery was called Mount Olivet, after the famous cemetery located in the Holy Land where Jesus and the apostles prayed and taught.