Spiritual Advisor
Rev. Darrell Kostiha

Chairperson
Sylvia Heise
254.584.5041
mikeheise49@gmail.com

Committee Members
Larry J. Hoelscher
Edward Meyer
Doris Voltin

    St. Mary’s Cemetery lies west of the Church of the Visitation and is the final resting place of about 1,400 parishioners and their families.  In the center of the cemetery towers a bronze statue of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, imported from France.  It was a gift from several pioneer families and erected in 1908. 
    The first recorded death in the cemetery is August of 1884. Henry, the infant son of Mr. and Mrs. Fritz Lenz, died and was put to rest in a grave singlehandedly dug by H. T. Rabroker, a young pioneer.
    During the 1900 epidemic of cholera in the parish, many babies died.  Rev. Michael Heintzelman obtained a statue of the Virgin Mary cradling the dead Jesus after the crucifixion.  The "Pieta", meaning pity or compassion, was sculpted by Michelangelo in 1499.  It remains one of his more enduring works and is said to be his only signed creation.  Novenas to the Sorrowful Mother of Jesus were begun as soon as the statue arrived, and shortly afterward the cholera ceased.  The epidemic left its toll on the small Westphalia community.  The "Pieta" burned in our tragic fire July 29, 2019.
    St. Mary’s Cemetery is the resting place of several priests:  Rev. Michael Heintzelman, Rev. Otto Bauer, Msgr. Robert Schertz, and Rev. Robert Frei and Rev. Andrew Didner, two parish sons who were ordained to the priesthood.