Changing times from days when Catholics, Protestants needed separate cemeteries

[rug]

BRET HAYWORTH
5 hrs ago

ANTHON, Iowa | In the small town of Anthon, there are two cemeteries one mile apart -- Oak Hill Cemetery on the north edge of town and the Mount St. Joseph Cemetery on the south end. The latter is where people of the Catholic faith have been buried for generations.

Separate cemeteries for Catholics have been a tradition in many Iowa communities since the state was first settled more than 150 years ago, although with some differences. Twenty miles from Anthon, for example, the town of Danbury has a single cemetery, although with widely known sections for Catholics and non-Catholics.

"Well, you go to the Catholic side," was the phrase Ruth Groth, of Anthon, said she heard from her Catholic relatives from Danbury.

The separate Catholic cemeteries are something many Siouxlanders have known about, and they'll have a reminder this weekend when many decorate the graves of relatives and friends as part of the Memorial Day holiday.

http://siouxcityjournal.com/lifestyles/features/changing-times-from-days-when-catholics-protestants-needed-separate-cemeteries/article_fcac56e4-780d-5357-a46f-a5d84e0a8035.html

[nycbos]

1. Catholic Heaven vs Protestant Heaven

https://m.

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2. I knew it!

👌

[No Vested Interest]

3. Problem with separate cemeteries is mixed-faith marriages led to separation in death

of spouses. Not good for those left behind.
Then there's the problem of non-practicing Catholics and former Catholics, who never really embraced another faith but can hardly be called "Catholic" at the time of death.
I personally believe charity should prevail and people should be buried where they and the family left behind wish and deem best for all concerned.

[47of74]

4. My maternal Grandpa wasn't Catholic

They allowed him to be buried in one of the local Catholic cemeteries back in 1980. I think if the church had insisted that he not be buried there he and Grandma would have bought their plots at the nearby non-sectarian cemetery.

[47of74]

5. Cascade has something similar

They have one large cemetery that had three main sections - one for the members of St. Mary's Church (mainly Germans), the other for St. Martin's parishioners (mainly Irish), and the protestant section. Or maybe it was three separate cemeteries that grew into each other over time.

St. Mary's and St. Martin's were only a few blocks from each other. St. Mary's closed several years ago and is now an antiques shop.

[No Vested Interest]

6. Interesting. Hard to visualize a cemetery as an antique shop.

I'm guessing there is a building on the property, preferably near the entrance, that is housing the antiques.

[47of74]

7. The church is an antique shop

Not the cemetery. Sorry for any confusion

[No Vested Interest]

8. Ah! That I can visualize. Churches have many alternative uses.

Some become homes; others restaurants. So why not an antique store?

[47of74]

9. The St. Mary's in Dubuque was turned into a community center

I'm so glad the community is making use of it instead of letting it fall apart and be torn down. The art work, the organ, the stained glass have made it a real treasure.