Diocesan Cemeteries

Calvary Cemetery was consecrated on August 8, 1858, by Rt. Rev. David William Bacon, the first Roman Catholic Bishop of Portland. It is the final resting place of thousands of Irish, French, Italian, Portuguese, English, Scottish, Polish, German, Lithuanian, Lebanese, African, and Syrian Roman Catholics, among others. The land had been owned by James Thornton and was a part of “Libby’s farm.”

Immediately following the consecration of the cemetery, Dublin, Ireland native Mrs. Rosanna Graves, aged 50, was interred, followed by two children, John Magee, and two-year old Martha Jane Anderson. Beginning in November 1858, many Catholics buried in Western Cemetery were reinterred in Calvary. A small memorial chapel, Mount Calvary Chapel, was built there in 1860 as the second oldest church in Portland.

The first known family of African descent to be buried at Calvary Cemetery is the family of John Reginald Spaulding. Spaulding was born in Africa in 1871, became a U.S. citizen in 1906 and was a faithful communicant of Sacred Heart Church of Portland until his death in 1962. John purchased the burial plots in Calvary upon the death of his wife Mary Ellen Spaulding in 1913, and the family plot is the burial site of 3 generations of the Spaulding family.

In 1910, Rev. Timothy H. Houlihan was named Director of the Cemetery and offered Sunday Mass at the chapel. In 1926, Mount Calvary Chapel was upgraded to serve as a parish for residents in Cash Corner, Ligonia, Pleasantdale Park, and Thornton Heights, as well as part of Scarborough. The church was expanded to include the addition of a chapel in honor of St. Francis of Assisi, a new sacristy, and a cemetery office.

There are an estimated 46,000 people buried in Calvary Cemetery including Bishop James A. Healy, second bishop of Portland; Bishop Daniel J. Walsh, fourth bishop of Portland; Bishop Daniel J. Feeney, seventh bishop of Portland; and Bishop Amadee Proulx. auxiliary bishop of Portland.

Calvary Cemetery offers options for both casket and urn burials, as well as above-ground cremation inurnments. 

Pietà and St. Dominic Niche Columbaria

Encircling the Pietà statue in the newer section of Calvary Cemetery, the Pietà Columbaria were erected in 2007 and contain 716 individual niche spaces for cremated remains. Also in the new section of Calvary Cemetery is the St. Dominic Columbarium. It was erected in 2015 and contains 96 individual niche spaces.
Niches are an above-ground alternative to in-ground burial for cremation urns. Each niche space cover is inscribed with the name and dates of the individual laid to rest there.
Cremation niches are offered with an all-inclusive price that includes the space, engraving of the name and dates, and the opening and closing of the space. Veterans are also able to be honored with a bronze military emblem on their niche, memorializing their service to our country.

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YaHoly Cross Cemetery is located off Smith Street near Riverside Cemetery. Established to serve the local Catholic community, the cemetery offers a peaceful setting overlooking the surrounding area and includes traditional burial space as well as a cremation garden. Holy Cross Cemetery is maintained as a sacred place of prayer, remembrance, and Christian hope for families and loved ones.

Holy Cross Cemetery was established in 1915 by Father Joseph Quinn whose pastorate in Yarmouth was from 1910-1937. The cemetery’s design was created by the noted Maine architect, Carl Rust Parker, on the grounds of the former Whitcomb Farm. The farm was among the oldest in Yarmouth featuring pastures and orchards. Mr. Parker also designed the landscaping for the Maine State House and the governor’s mansion, the Yarmouth town green as well as projects in Washington, DC.

Until the cemetery was established, Catholics in Yarmouth would be buried in cemeteries in Portland. As the Catholic population grew with immigrants from Ireland, Quebec, Italy, Poland and Lithuania, the need for a local cemetery was acknowledged. Once under the stewardship of Yarmouth’s Sacred Heart Parish, the Holy Cross Cemetery is currently administered by the Diocese of Portland.

Historical information provided by the Yarmouth Historical Society. 

Notre Dame Cemetery is located on approximately 14 acres of land off Pine Street in Springvale.
Viens is the last name of the earliest burial known to have happened here. The headstone notes the date of passing as August 28, 1884.
The cemetery features a beautiful Pietà, a sculpture depicting Mary holding Jesus after his body was taken down from the cross.
Since there are currently no street signs in the cemetery, each section is identified by where it is situated. For example, entering through the first gate, you would find the “Front Right” section on your right, and the “Middle” section on your left. If you keep going, you’ll reach the “Circle” area. All of the areas are based upon entering through the first entrance.

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In June of 1902 a delegation of three men from St. Ignatius Parish, Telesphore Demers, Delphis Lebrun, and Adolphe Ducharme, met with the Goodall family to acquire a parcel of land for a Catholic cemetery. On June 16, Sanford Mills donated 18 acres of land on Berwick Road in Sanford to St. Ignatius Parish to found Saint Ignatius Cemetery. The cemetery was consecrated by Bishop John Gregory Murray on May 30, 1931.

In June of 1962 the Sanford Veteran Memorial Committee donated a plaque to honor war veterans that are interred in the cemetery. The plaque is located at the base of the flagpole in the Priest Circle of the cemetery.

Between 1963-1972, more land was acquired to expand the cemetery, the cemetery now covers 33 acres.

In 1976 Emile Levasseur donated money for the construction of vault building as well as the brick and granite wall along Berick Street. This donation was in memory of Emile’s parents, Albert & Melvina Levasseur. The new building was dedicated on Memorial Day 1977 by Bishop Amadee Proulx, a native of Sanford. This building currently service as the office of the cemetery.

To commemorate Saint Ignatius Parish centennial and the memory of Emily Levasseur & Albert Lavallee, the Way of the Cross Section was built in the front of the cemetery.

The Cross in the cemetery of the Priest Circle lists the names of the pastors that have served the parish. There are several priests interred in the Priest Circle including, Fr. John McGinnis 1865-1924, beloved pastor of St. Ignatius Parish; Fr. Joseph H. Kalen 1873-1947, founder of Holy Family Parish; and Fr. Conrad W. L’Heureux 1924-1995, a native of Sanford.

This cemetery now serves members of St. Thérèse of Lisieux Parish, formed by the 2007 merger of the Sanford parishes.

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Bishop David W. Bacon, the first bishop of the Diocese of Portland, established both St. Joseph Parish and St. Joseph Cemetery. Prior to being named St. Joseph, it was originally referred to simply as the “French Catholic Cemetery".

St. Joseph Cemetery, as well as St. Mary Cemetery in Biddeford, is now part of Good Shepherd Parish. St. Joseph Cemetery has grown to encompass 88 acres, and with an average of 172 burials a year, it is the final resting place of nearly 27,000 people.

Aside from traditional in-ground burial spaces, St. Joseph Cemetery also offers above-ground casket crypt spaces and urn niche spaces.

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Fr. Thomas Kenney was appointed the first pastor of St. Mary of the Assumption Parish in Biddeford in 1855. He purchased an allotment of land to form a cemetery off Elm Street in an area on the outskirts of the city. Several further purchases in 1891, 1892, 1900, 1913, and 1931 have seen this small cemetery expand to cover an area of 25 acres.

The cemetery is open all year for visitors from 7:30 am until dusk. An annual prayer service is held on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend.

In 1999, a small shrine was formed in the All Souls section of the cemetery. The central feature is a statue of Mary, which was relocated from St. Mary’s convent, where it had been for about 100 years. The statue was restored by Rita Souvigney, a local artist and parishioner. The shrine was blessed on November 2, 1999.

In November 2002, Fr. Brendan Harnett consecrated a section of the cemetery where unbaptized and others are buried.

Thanks to a memorial donation received in 2005, a statue of St. Patrick stands as a focal point of the St. Patrick's section at the rear of the new area across from the gazebo.

A columbarium has been erected in the oldest section of the cemetery to form the 14 Stations of the Cross, and people may choose to inter the cremated ashes of their loved ones at one of the stations.

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Originally known as the French Cemetery, St. Peter’s Cemetery was established on July 1, 1876, with the acquisition of eight acres of land on the Switzerland Road. The first interment, on July 2nd of that year, was Joseph Gaudios Laroche, 10-month-old son of Joseph Laroche and Celine Ferland. Cemetery records indicate, however, that there were 172 interments between 1870 and July 1, 1876, in what was then known as Le Cimietière de la Congrégation Canadienne.

With the arrival of the Society of Dominican Fathers in 1881, the cemetery, along with all properties and undertakings of St. Peter’s Parish, fell under their administration.

The Dominican Fathers owned and operated St. Peter’s Cemetery from 1881 until December 31, 1994, when it was turned over to the Roman Catholic Bishop of Portland.

The part of the cemetery known as the “Monument Section” lies between Switzerland Road and Deer Road and is often referred to as the “old cemetery.” This area is made up of over 4,000 multi-grave lots.

The “Shrine Section” was consecrated by Bishop Daniel Feeney, DD, in August 1954. There are over 9,000 graves among the eight sections in this newer part of the cemetery.

In May 1972, Bishop Edward O’Leary, DD, presided over the dedication of the first of our two mausoleum chapels. A second chapel was later added in 1984. In total, there are 600 crypt spaces and almost 700 niche spaces between the two chapels.

At the rear of the original chapel is a beautiful stained-glass window designed and executed by Franz Shroeder in Munich, Germany. This chapel is also the home of three hand-carved Lindenwood statues designed by Leopold Moroder of Ortisie in Northern Italy.

The bell tower contains three electro-mechanical Campanile bells which produce sounds equivalent to 16,900 pounds of cast bronze bells.

In 2014, Bishop Robert Deeley blessed and dedicated the St. Louis Mausoleum. Adjacent to our chapel, the St. Louis Mausoleum is an outdoor structure containing 140 crypt spaces and 284 niche spaces.

The most recent addition to the cemetery is the Garden of the Apostles, which is located behind the chapel and is dedicated solely for cremation, burial, and inurnment. Cremation benches, free-standing columbaria, and double niche monuments highlight this beautiful area.

Over the years, the cemetery has grown to over 70 acres of developed land, and over 45,000 burials have taken place. 

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