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MOUNT CALVARY CEMETERY: Difference between revisions
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MOUNT CALVARY CEMETERY. With the purchase of five acres of land from William Rumpf and Herman Bruening, a burial site for German-speaking Catholics was established on July 19, 1861, and designed for the members of [[HOLY TRINITY CHURCH]]. The cemetery was used as the burial site for members of Holy Trinity from 1861 to 1864. | [[Image:calvarycemetery.gif|left|thumb|250px|]]MOUNT CALVARY CEMETERY. With the purchase of five acres of land from William Rumpf and Herman Bruening, a burial site for German-speaking Catholics was established on July 19, 1861, and designed for the members of [[HOLY TRINITY CATHOLIC CHURCH]]. The cemetery was used as the burial site for members of Holy Trinity from 1861 to 1864. (1) | ||
In 1864 with the construction of [[ | In 1864 with the construction of [[ST. MARY'S CATHOLIC CHURCH]] the cemetery was called St. Mary's Cemetery and operated under the direction of the pastor of St. Mary's Church. Since the parish was established as a German National Parish, the cemetery became the burial place of German Catholic people from Dubuque as well as the outlying regions. The site became the cemetery for three churches with the construction of [[SACRED HEART CHURCH]] (1880) and [[HOLY GHOST CATHOLIC CHURCH]] (1896). (2) | ||
The name of the cemetery was changed to Mt. Calvary in April 1902. This was the year the Calvary Cemetery Association was organized as a corporation under the laws of Iowa. On April 5, 1902, Archbishop [[KEANE, John J.|John J. KEANE]] gave the Association a warranty deed to the cemetery. Since that date, purchases of land around the original cemetery have resulted in a total of forty acres being acquired. ( | The name of the cemetery was changed to Mt. Calvary in April 1902. This was the year the Calvary Cemetery Association was organized as a corporation under the laws of Iowa. On April 5, 1902, Archbishop [[KEANE, John J.|John J. KEANE]] gave the Association a warranty deed to the cemetery. Since that date, purchases of land around the original cemetery have resulted in a total of forty acres being acquired. (3) | ||
By 2013 the cemetery's distinctive St. Michael Shrine, constructed in 1906, was in need of restoration. Deacon John Stierman, cemetery manager, and Christine Rapp, the assistant manager, began a fundraising campaign on Father's Day, 2014 to restore the shrine and other sites on the grounds. The first restoration project involved tuckpointing, painting, stone replacement and the replacement of stained glass window panes on Johannes Chapel. When the attention turned to the St. Michael Shrine, Terry Lambert, a retired assistant police chief, suggested law enforcement might support the restoration. St. Michael is the patron saint of police officers. Lambert's efforts were well received and Diego Velez, a [[CLARKE UNIVERSITY]] alumnus, was hired for the restoration. To ensure the authenticity of the work, residents were asked to contribute past pictures of the building. [[FRIEDMAN, Lawrence (Larry)|Lawrence (Larry) FRIEDMAN]] contributed postcards of the shrine and the 14 Stations of the Cross. One of the puzzles solved by the cards was discovering that the original statue of St. Michael depicted him holding a sword in his hand. Work on the shrine was completed in 2015. (4) | |||
In 2019 as the costs of maintenance for cemeteries increased, revenues often declined. One of the primary causes of this situation was the increased interest in cremation rather than burial. This resulted in a financial loss of approximately 50% for the cemetery. Unlike nondenominational cemeteries, Catholic cemeteries were less affected because fewer Catholics chose an alternative to burial. (5) | |||
The 1985 '''Dubuque City Directory''' listed Mount Calvary Cemetery and Mausoleum at 111 Davis. | |||
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Source: | |||
1. Tri-States German Heritage," ''Telegraph Herald'', June 7, 2018, p. 62 | |||
2. Ibid. | |||
3. Ibid. | |||
4. Jones, Tia Carol, "Shrine to Shine Again," ''Telegraph Herald,'' July 24, 2015, p. 2A | |||
4. Kruse, John, "An Uncertain Future," ''Telegraph Herald'', December 15, 2019, p. 2A | |||
[[Category: Cemetery]] | |||
Latest revision as of 22:25, 16 January 2025
MOUNT CALVARY CEMETERY. With the purchase of five acres of land from William Rumpf and Herman Bruening, a burial site for German-speaking Catholics was established on July 19, 1861, and designed for the members of HOLY TRINITY CATHOLIC CHURCH. The cemetery was used as the burial site for members of Holy Trinity from 1861 to 1864. (1)
In 1864 with the construction of ST. MARY'S CATHOLIC CHURCH the cemetery was called St. Mary's Cemetery and operated under the direction of the pastor of St. Mary's Church. Since the parish was established as a German National Parish, the cemetery became the burial place of German Catholic people from Dubuque as well as the outlying regions. The site became the cemetery for three churches with the construction of SACRED HEART CHURCH (1880) and HOLY GHOST CATHOLIC CHURCH (1896). (2)
The name of the cemetery was changed to Mt. Calvary in April 1902. This was the year the Calvary Cemetery Association was organized as a corporation under the laws of Iowa. On April 5, 1902, Archbishop John J. KEANE gave the Association a warranty deed to the cemetery. Since that date, purchases of land around the original cemetery have resulted in a total of forty acres being acquired. (3)
By 2013 the cemetery's distinctive St. Michael Shrine, constructed in 1906, was in need of restoration. Deacon John Stierman, cemetery manager, and Christine Rapp, the assistant manager, began a fundraising campaign on Father's Day, 2014 to restore the shrine and other sites on the grounds. The first restoration project involved tuckpointing, painting, stone replacement and the replacement of stained glass window panes on Johannes Chapel. When the attention turned to the St. Michael Shrine, Terry Lambert, a retired assistant police chief, suggested law enforcement might support the restoration. St. Michael is the patron saint of police officers. Lambert's efforts were well received and Diego Velez, a CLARKE UNIVERSITY alumnus, was hired for the restoration. To ensure the authenticity of the work, residents were asked to contribute past pictures of the building. Lawrence (Larry) FRIEDMAN contributed postcards of the shrine and the 14 Stations of the Cross. One of the puzzles solved by the cards was discovering that the original statue of St. Michael depicted him holding a sword in his hand. Work on the shrine was completed in 2015. (4)
In 2019 as the costs of maintenance for cemeteries increased, revenues often declined. One of the primary causes of this situation was the increased interest in cremation rather than burial. This resulted in a financial loss of approximately 50% for the cemetery. Unlike nondenominational cemeteries, Catholic cemeteries were less affected because fewer Catholics chose an alternative to burial. (5)
The 1985 Dubuque City Directory listed Mount Calvary Cemetery and Mausoleum at 111 Davis.
---
Source:
1. Tri-States German Heritage," Telegraph Herald, June 7, 2018, p. 62
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid.
4. Jones, Tia Carol, "Shrine to Shine Again," Telegraph Herald, July 24, 2015, p. 2A
4. Kruse, John, "An Uncertain Future," Telegraph Herald, December 15, 2019, p. 2A