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St. Francis Borgia Cemetery

Overview

Many parishioners have never visited one of St. Francis Borgia’s most beautiful sites – the parish cemetery. It is the final resting place for deceased parishioners, including some who passed away more than 150 years ago.

As a Catholic cemetery, the St. Francis Borgia Cemetery serves as a symbol of the extended community of believers, a community unbroken by death. It stands as a reminder of the need to prepare throughout our lives here on earth for that life which is to come and to pray for the repose of the souls of those who have gone before us. Our parish cemetery is holy ground. It is a refuge for remembrance, prayer, service and peace.

Our cemetery contains the collective history, personal recollections and communal memories of countless individuals who have gone before us marked with the sign of faith. As we stroll among the quiet pathways and listen to the songbirds and gentle breezes that accompany us, we are reminded of God’s presence, Christ’s promise and the Spirit’s power to transform our lives.

Time spent here remembering and reflecting on their lives will hopefully remind us of their personal legacy and our shared journey of faith.

Burial Space

We have space available for both traditional ground burials and above-ground inurnments in our columbarium.

Visitation Privileges

The cemetery is open during daylight hours throughout the year. Vehicles are required to remain on the roadways and park in the designated parking spaces. Pets are not allowed in the cemetery. All garbage and rubbish is required to be picked up and deposited in the waste receptacles located throughout the cemetery.

Water spigots are located at various locations in the cemetery and are available for your use in caring for grave sites during warm weather months.

Visitors are asked to respect both the cemetery grounds and those who rest there with reverence.

History

The history of our parish cemetery is very much a part of our parish’s heritage. The parish cemetery now in use commenced operation about three years after the first log cabin church began serving our congregation. Part of the present cemetery land was purchased in 1847. An additional parcel was purchased in 1868 and the final nine acres were purchased in 1955. (Source: “St. Francis Borgia, 1844-1994,” published in celebration of the parish’s 150th anniversary.)

In July 2018, ground penetrating radar was utilized in the oldest sections of the cemetery to ensure that all grave sites were properly recorded and mapped in cemetery records. This review identified certain old graves not in cemetery records, as well as headstones and monuments that had sunken below ground level. Some of the unmarked graves are those of babies from poor Milwaukee-area families buried in the 1960s, at the request of former pastor Fr. Leo Zingsheim.  In all, there were almost 200 unmarked graves, including a plot with 46 babies. No records exist showing who these souls are or when they were buried.

Thanks to the generosity of many who donated to a Baby Monument & Crosses fundraiser, crosses have been placed in the baby section, and a monument and other crosses will be placed in spring 2019.

Location

The St. Francis Borgia Parish Cemetery is located in Mequon, Wisconsin, on Pioneer Road (Hwy C), one-quarter mile west of Wauwatosa Road (N. 76th Street). The cemetery entrance is located on Pioneer Road, approximately ¼ mile west of Wauwatosa Road at the westernmost drive into the grounds.

Photo Gallery

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Additional Information

Cemetery – For more information about the cemetery or to purchase a burial plot or columbarium niche, contact our Cemetery Coordinator at 262-377-1070 or email the parish office. Cemetery administration is provided from the St. Francis Borgia Parish Center, located at 1375 Covered Bridge Road, Cedarburg. Those who manage and care for the cemetery are committed to those who rest here and to their family and friends who come to remember them. The cemetery has a Perpetual Care Fund, managed by the parish’s Investment Committee. The earnings on this fund augment proceeds from plot and niche sales, to fund cemetery operating and maintenance costs into perpetuity.

Funerals and Burial – See the Funerals and Christian Burial page.

Cemetery Committee – The parish Cemetery Committee works with our Cemetery Coordinator to provide a dignified, environmentally-sensitive burial site, and infrastructure to support activities that honor and respect all who are buried there. The committee monitors activities and the upkeep of the St. Francis Borgia cemetery grounds, not only on the day of interment, but also for ongoing grounds maintenance. Behind the scenes, cemetery management also entails capacity/expansion planning, pricing and selling burial plots and columbarium niches, filing and maintaining public records, reviewing operating results and budgeting. If you are interested in joining the Cemetery Committee, please contact the Cemetery Coordinator at 262-377-1070 or email the parish office.