Our St. Mary Cemeteries
 
The parish of St. Mary, Manchester, has the blessing and responsibility for the care of three parish cemeteries: St. Mary Cemetery at the western boundary of the Manchester Village, and two Freedom Township cemeteries– St. Francis Cemetery on Bethel Church Road and the Original Catholic Cemetery on Schneider Road. A Cemetery Board (consisting of four parishioners plus two cemetery sextons and the parish bookkeeper) assist the pastor in maintaining these cemeteries.
 
Those currently serving on the Board are Bill Kwolek, David Roberts, Judy Walz, Marja Warner, and Janet Shurtliff,  Jennifer Nashif. The two cemetery sextons are Mike Miner (St. Mary’s Cemetery, the two Freedom Township cemeteries) and Sylvie Strong is the parish bookkeeper.
 
A number of graves at St. Mary’s Cemetery date back into the 1800s, with perhaps the oldest stone belonging to Ferdinand Kirk whose date of death is 1869. Walking through the cemetery one encounters a virtual “Who’s Who” of St. Mary’s families, including many of the names one sees on the stained glass windows of the church--names such as Cash, Henzie, Schwab, Lonier, etc.
 
The two Freedom cemeteries were originally associated with the first parish in the Manchester area, i.e. St. Francis de Borgia, founded in 1839 in a log cabin on Schneider Road near Hieber Rd, and then replaced with a permanent structure on Bethel Church Rd in 1858. That permanent structure no longer stand, however, the rectory building remains, now a private residence. Both Freedom township cemeteries are located adjacent to the original church building sites. St. Mary Cemetery located just west of Manchester Village is the only cemetery where burials are currently permitted.
 
St. Mary Cemetery has always been a serious responsibility as well as a peaceful and joyful act of Christian love for the people of St. Mary’s. It is a place where families can be comforted with a loving memorial of their loved ones whom surely “the angels have led into Paradise.”
 
For more information about St. Mary Cemetery, please contact the parish office at 734-428-8811 or Marja Warner at 734-428-9506 or read the informational articles on this page.

 
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If you are looking for a grave at St. Mary Cemetery, click here for a map of the cemetery and the most updated list of names of those buried there.

Another useful link is through the Find-a-Grave website.

Also, click here for lists of burials at the two Freedom Township cemeteries: St. Francis Cemetery on Bethel Church Road and the Original Catholic Cemetery on Schneider Road at Hieber Rd.
 

In 1978 at the St. Francis Cemetery on Bethel Church Road in Freedom Township, the Most Reverend Kenneth J. Povish, bishop of Lansing, dedicated a wayside shrine to commemorate the 140th anniversary of the establishment of the German Catholic community in that section of Washtenaw County. An iron cross, dedicated to Thecla Weiss by her husband Joseph, was placed on top of the original cornerstone of the church.

In December 2002 this Shrine was stolen. A police investigation did not lead to its recovery and so a replacement shrine was designed, erected, and dedicated. Surprisingly, in 2005, the original shrine was found leaning against the fence at the cemetery. However, it was much worse for the wear with the cedar shingles were missing and the wood was rotted. It was a mercy to once again know where this blessed object was.

The replacement shrine stands today, mounted on the cornerstone of the parish church, St. Francis de Borgia, that once stood adjacent to the cemetery. The new Wayside Shrine is pictured here.

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