The mission of Catholic cemeteries in the Diocese of Madison is to assist the bishop, priests, and lay faithful in witnessing to the teachings of the Church, including respect for the human person, belief in the resurrection of the body, and the hope of eternal life.
This mission is accomplished by burying the dead with dignity in consecrated ground, comforting and caring for those who mourn, maintaining cemetery grounds and buildings as sacred places of prayer and remembrance, exercising good stewardship of financial and other resources, and employing staff who are welcoming, competent, and compassionate.
There are 125 cemeteries connected with parishes in the diocese. While the diocesan Cemetery Office does not manage the parish burial sites, it does advise parish personnel and act as a resource for their management.
In addition, there are four diocesan cemeteries operated by the Diocese of Madison.
Resurrection Cemetery
Resurrection Cemetery in Madison was founded in 1949 soon after the Diocese of Madison was established. It combined two existing adjoining cemeteries, Holy Cross and Calvary. Those cemeteries were established in the mid-1880s to serve the Catholics of St. Raphael, Holy Redeemer, St. Patrick, and St. James Parishes in Madison.
Today, Resurrection Cemetery serves the Catholics of all the parishes in the Madison area, as well as former residents who have relocated out of town but wish to be buried in Madison. The bishops of the Diocese of Madison, as well as well-known public figures such as comedian and actor Chris Farley, are laid to rest at Resurrection.
In 2020, Bishop Donald Hying blessed a new sculpture at Resurrection, Memorial for Unborn Children II by Slovak artist Martin Hudacek.
Twice each year, Resurrection Cemetery partners with St. Mary’s Hospital Fetal Pathology Lab to lay the remains of stillborn or miscarried children to rest.
Mass is celebrated at the chapel mausoleum in Resurrection Cemetery on the third Friday of each month as well as on Memorial Day and All Souls Day.
The cemetery is centrally located at Regent St. and Speedway Rd. in Madison and covers over 40 acres. It offers traditional in-ground burials, several mausoleums, columbaria, lawn crypts, and a new cremation garden for in-ground burial of cremation remains.
Mt. Olivet Cemetery
Mt. Olivet Cemetery was established in the mid-19th century in Janesville. It is located on the west side of the Rock River on N. Washington St., not far from downtown Janesville, and serves the parishes of St. William, St. John Vianney, St. Patrick, and Nativity of Mary.
Mt. Olivet is located on 40 acres and contains the “Little Chapel,” built at the turn of the 19th century. In 2019, Bishop Hying consecrated five new acres at Mt. Olivet which were purchased from an adjacent cemetery. Mt. Olivet offers traditional in-ground burials, a mausoleum, lawn crypts, and a columbarium for cremation urns.
Mt. Thabor Cemetery
Mt. Thabor Cemetery is located on the east side of downtown Beloit, adjacent to Our Lady of the Assumption Church. It has served the Catholic population of the Beloit area since 1939.
It offers traditional in-ground burials, mausoleums, lawn crypts, a columbarium for cremation urns, and a special area dedicated to infant burials, called the Garden of Innocence.
Calvary Cemetery
Calvary Cemetery was deeded in 1864 in a residential neighborhood on the east side of Beloit. Contained within the cemetery are many of the earliest pioneers of the Beloit area with graves dating back to the Civil War era and mid to late 1800s.
Calvary has only a limited number of spaces still available offering traditional in-ground burials.
Works of mercy
Damian Lenshek currently serves as director of cemeteries in the Diocese of Madison. He said, “Burying the dead is a Corporal Work of Mercy and praying for the dead is a Spiritual Work of Mercy.”
He noted that the Catholic Church “earnestly recommends burial of the body rather than cremation.”
Since retention of cremated remains in the home is not permitted by the Church, each year the diocesan cemeteries offer a chance to lay cremated remains to rest.
See madisondiocese.org/rest for more details.
In addition to burial and entombment space, Catholic Cemeteries also offer a variety of products and services that provide for lasting memorialization for individuals and families, including burial vaults, cremation urns, granite and bronze memorials, and beginning in 2022, Trappists caskets. Items can be purchased through Catholic Cemeteries at prices equal to or below those of other suppliers.
For more information on diocesan cemeteries, go to madisondiocese.org/cemeteries