The new cemetery recently laid out on Olden Avenue, under the auspices of St. Mary’s Catholic Church, in this city, was duly consecrated yesterday Tbe day being very fine, a large concourse of people visited tbe place to witness the ceremony. Father Smith, of St. Mary’s Church, was deputed by the Bishop to perform the services. A procession was formed at St. Mary’s Hall, on Bank street, as follows:
St. Mary’s Temperance Society.
St. Mary’s Temperance Cadets.
St. Mary’s Beneficial Society.
Young Men’s Catholic Association.
Sodalities of St. Mary’s Church.
A number of persons were in carriages. There was no music. The ground was consecrated with the usual services,
which were of a very interesting character.
This plot contains about twelve acres, and is beautifully located. It has already been very handsomely laid out.
MONDAY, AUGUST 22, 1876:
ST. MARY’S CEMETERY CONSECRATED
The consecration of the new cemetery attached to St. Mary’s parish took place yesterday, and was witnessed by hundreds of people. The cemetery is located on Olden avenue, upon which it has a frontage of 1,000 feet. It is 14 acres in extent, and when the grading is completed will he one of the most handsome burial places in this locality. It is traversed by several 18 foot avenues, that intersect at right angles Other avenues, varying from five to thirteen feet in width, are staked out at regular intervals. At the principal entrance are highly ornamented gates, and the whole tract is
enclosed by a substantial fence.
About 3 o’clock P. M. a procession, composed of St. Mary’s T. A. B. Cadets, the T. A. B. Society, St. Mary’s M. B. & B. and the Young Men’s Catholic and Literary Association, was formed on Bank Street, and marched to the scene of the consecration. The ceremonies were performed by the Rev. Father Smith, who preached an appropriate and interesting sermon, which was listened to with close attention. He stated that from the cradle to the grave the church was the guardian of her children, and had appropriate ceremonies for all the stages and events of life, and inasmuch as their bodies were, during life, the temples of the Holy Spirit, it was appropriate that when life had fled, having died in the faith, the remains of the faithful should rest in holy ground. One of the saddest duties he had to perform, was the denial of Christian burial to those, who, by their own acts, had cut themselves off from the church. He hoped that his bearers would remember that all men must die, and would shape their lives so that when the awful change did come they would be worthy, not only to rest in the consecrated ground, but that they would obtain rest in that House, not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
The opening of St. Mary’s cemetery will prove a great convenience to the people of that parish, and save them a vast amount of annoyance and trouble, as hitherto interments had been
made at St. John’s Cemetery, on Lalor Street.
I BELIEVE THIS PHOTO IS FROM THE 1860's BEFORE THE LOFTY STEEPLE WAS CONSTRUCTED AT ST. MARY'S. DID YOU KNOW THAT EACH BELL WHICH WAS INSTALLED WITHIN THE STEEPLE WAS NAMED FOR A SAINT? SOMEWHERE IN MY MASSIVE FILES IS AN ARTICLE DESCRIBING THE INCREDIBLE TASK OF HOISTING UP HUGE OAK TIMBERS TO BUILD THE STEEPLE AND INSTALL THE BELLS. 
Did you know that the bells in the old St. Mary's Cathedral steeple were HUGE, and each named for a Saint? The photo from the Trenton State Gazette shows a steeplejack way, way up on the steeple repairing the roof from recent storm damage.
The St. Mary's Cathedral Folder in the Hamilton Local History Collection has some FASCINATING articles dealing with the building of the original St. Mary's Cathedral. Did you know that there was a HIGH HIGH steeple on the original cathedral, and in that HIGH HIGH steeple were huge bells? Each bell was named for a Saint. Future posts will be forthcoming. The two articles accompanying this post deals with the HUGE clock being installed on the cathedral spire. Really fascinating reading.
