Catholic Cemetery Week Logo Contest

Congratulations to 8th grader Isabelle Dieter from Holy Ghost Immaculate Conception School in Kieler for her winning submission!

Logo Contest Finalists
Winner: Isabelle Dieter
Runner-up: Katie Schroedl
Honorable Mention: Evelyn Berning
Honorable Mention: Samantha Dieter
Honorable Mention: Elle Roepsch

Thank you to all participants, and to the Diocese of Madison's Cemetery Advisory Board for judging the entries! And a big thank you to the schools and parents that supported the contest! 

The purpose of Catholic Cemetery Week is to celebrate the Catholic practice of burying the dead and to promote prayers for the dead.  Find out more here.

Did you know? 

• There are 125 parish cemeteries in our diocese, as well as 4 diocesan cemeteries. 

• Burying the Dead is a corporal work of mercy. See for example Tobit chapters 1 and 2. 

• Praying for the Dead is a spiritual work of mercy. See for example 2 Maccabees 12:40-45. 

• St. Anthony the Great is the patron saint of gravediggers. 

• When a Catholic cemetery is established, it is blessed during a special liturgy and is holy ground. 

• “Cemetery” comes from the Greek word for “dormitory.” It is a resting place, not a final destination. 

• We care reverently for the bodies of our beloved dead because their body was baptized, every good work they did was done by their body, and they will be reunited with their body at the Final Judgment. 

• The Catholic Church teaches that the bodies of the dead are to be buried in a cemetery. 

• The Catholic Church allows cremation, but not scattering, dividing, or retaining cremated remains at home. Cremated remains are to be buried in a cemetery.