Toppled tombstones
On a recent chilly winter morning, Mother Joseph Caroline l.s.p. and our Board members visited the final resting place of our Little Sisters at the New Cathedral Cemetery in West Baltimore. It was founded in 1871 – just two years after the arrival of the Little Sisters in Baltimore. According to cemetery records, the first two Little Sisters buried there, died on August 20, 1878. To date, 61 Little Sisters from St. Martin’s are entombed there.
Sadly, the gravesites are in need of work. Some of the tombstones are illegible while others tumbled over. Flat stones are sunken and the lawn needs attention.
Our Board feels the Sisters’ burial sites serve as a sanctuary where we seek solace and a symbolic reminder that death is not an end, but a prelude to our resurrection and everlasting life.
The original figure of $20,000 did not take into consideration the true scope of the work necessary to improve the gravesites and to ensure the continuation of care. If you would like to help us with the repairs (either through a monetary donation or manual labor), please contact our Development Director, Marcy Shea-Frank, devbaltimore@littlesistersofthepoor.org.
The toppled tombstone of Mother Clemence Werling, date of death, February 1, 1893.
