Dear fellow Cathedral parishioners,
As you travel around mid-Missouri and see the other parishes in our diocese, do you ever notice that the majority of them have their own parish cemetery, often on the same grounds as the church? Did you know that our neighboring parish, St. Peter’s, had their own parish cemetery shortly after it opened in the 1880s? That cemetery is still in its original place and is inconspicuously located on the east corner of what is now the Heisinger Lutheran Home property. When the original cemetery needed additional space, a new cemetery for St. Peter’s was opened just to the west. That cemetery is still very prominent on West Main Street. As that cemetery was running out of space, the pastors of St. Peter’s and the newly opened Immaculate Conception parish acquired land further west for a shared cemetery. That cemetery is what we currently know as Resurrection Cemetery on West Truman Boulevard. After the Cathedral of St. Joseph parish was established in the 1960s, Resurrection Cemetery became our parish cemetery as well.
Have you ever wondered who is responsible for oversight of Resurrection Cemetery? Ultimately, the diocesan bishop, but regarding day-to-day operations, it is done collectively through the Catholic Cemeteries of Jefferson City Board of Directors, which is composed of representatives from each of the three Jefferson City parishes. Along with Fr. Nelen, we, the undersigned, are your three representatives on the Board. Our goal is to support the working personnel and efforts at Resurrection Cemetery, which includes budget and financial oversight, products and services offered by the cemetery, facility upkeep and maintenance and long-term planning.
We would be happy to provide further information about what the Catholic Cemeteries Board does or about what is going on within Resurrection Cemetery. We are also here to help anyone who may wish to support the care of the cemetery through charitable giving. We are fortunate to have a Catholic cemetery for our parish that provides our family and friends’ final places of rest, where they will be treated with dignity and remembered in prayer.
Thank you for all your prayerful support and sacrificial giving, and please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions. You are also welcome to connect with the cemetery’s Executive Director, Alan Lepper at alepper@rccjc.org or at 573-893-2751.
Pat Joyce
Melissa Lorts
Brian Johnson