WLKM Radio 95.9 FM
Kalamazoo Diocese Bishop Edward M. Lohse, a number of St. Edward’s Catholic Church dignitaries and more than 60 people gathered Monday for the blessing of a new section of cemetery in Mendon.
The area is south of the church’s current cemetery and large enough to accommodate 770 graves, church officials said.
The land was purchased by a parishioner’s family and donated to the church for use specifically as a cemetery. The church has worked with the village to include an infrastructure that includes buried drainage pipes that direct water flow into the nearby Little Portage Creek.
The earliest known grave in the original cemetery dates to 1852.
The centerpiece of the new section is a pietà of the Virgin Mary holding her son, Jesus. The word pietà, Lohse explained, is Italian and means “pity” or “compassion.” The pietà showcased in the new cemetery is composed of resin and was made in Italy.
