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Catholic Cemetery History

175 Acres of Beautiful, Consecrated Grounds

The Catholic Cemetery provides services to the Catholic families of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Inc. not only by making available resting places for their deceased members but also by providing pre-need services such as opening/closing of graves, granite memorials, vaults, final dates, vases/urns, Christmas wreaths, and so on.

This is all done at its 175-acre facility located at 3500 Lake Avenue in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The Catholic Cemetery was established in 1873 by Bishop Joseph Dwenger and had its first regular burial in November of that year. The Catholic Cemetery Association was organized in April 1893 and was directed by Bishop Joseph Rademacher in 1894 to run the Catholic Cemetery. In May 1994, Bishop John M. D’Arcy reorganized the Catholic Cemetery Association in order to take advantage of the 1991 Indiana Non-Profit Corporation Act and to be in conformity with Canon Law. It is now the Catholic Cemetery Association of Fort Wayne, Inc. d/b/a Catholic Cemetery Association, Inc.

As a result, the Bishop of the Diocese is now ex officio Chairman of the Board of Directors. The Board, in turn, with the approval of the Bishop, hires the Superintendent who is responsible for the overall management of the Cemetery and hires its personnel. The Cemetery staff also takes care of Saint Leo Catholic Cemetery in Leo, Indiana, and Saint Michael Catholic Cemetery at Pierr Settlement off St. Joe Center Road in the far Northeast corner of Fort Wayne.

The Superintendent has organized the Cemetery with a Grounds Foreman, who oversees the groundskeepers, and a Senior Service Counselor (Sales Manager) who handles counseling and sales, and with an office staff.

Why Choose a Catholic Funeral?

As Catholics, we are blessed with the promise of life everlasting. To be with our Lord in Heaven, we are baptized, follow His word, and keep Him in our hearts throughout our journey on earth. At death, we trust our bodies to a sacred Catholic funeral, to be prepared for the Resurrection. Because we know God created us in His own image and likeness, we honor our bodies with respect and dignity, in life and in death.

With the Catholic funeral Mass, our Church and family pray for the souls of the deceased, in hopes that God will prepare a place for them in His fullness and light. We pray also to provide condolence and comfort to those left behind.

For more than 100 years, it has been the sacred duty of Catholic Cemeteries and Funeral Homes to care for families in their time of need. When a death occurs, or you are ready to preplan a Catholic funeral, we’ll be here to comfort and serve you.

The Catholic funeral affirms many sacred beliefs, including:

  • The sanctity of all human life
  • The dignity of the person
  • The resurrection of Jesus Christ and of his faithful followers
  • Death is an occasion to comfort, grieve, and embrace human mortality
  • The respect that is to be shown for the bodies of the dead
  • The importance of remembering the dead and offering prayers for them
  • The need for the Church to provide a ministry of consolation to those who mourn