'Elegant But Simple'

Year For Priests Is A Time To Honor Deceased Priests At Our Lady Queen
Of Peace Cemetery

FC | LINDA REEVES
Shown is one of the 31 graves in the priest section at Our Lady Queen of Peace Cemetery. Most of the graves are marked by modest marble headstones with information about the deceased. Cemetery leaders hope to spruce up the burial site and place a memorial to priests near the location.

LINDA REEVES | FLORIDA CATHOLIC STAFF

Posted: 11.28.09

ROYAL PALM BEACH | The late Father Robert Magee of St. Martin de Porres in Jensen Beach is remembered for his short and to-the-point sermons, compassion for the poor and discretion when it came to spending money.

“He was a great uncle,” said his nephew, Edward Magee Jr., a parishioner of the Cathedral of St. James in Orlando. “He would say, ‘Simple does the job — elegant but simple.’”

Elegant and simple are words that might best describe the project going on at Our Lady Queen of Peace Cemetery.

The project is inspired by Pope Benedict XVI and is focused on the burial section of the Catholic cemetery where Father Magee rests alongside 30 other priests.

“I believe that Pope Benedict’s designation of the Year for Priests is a great sign that our desire to enhance this memorial to our deceased priests of the diocese must now come to fruition,” said St. Thomas More parishioner Thomas Jordan, cemetery administrator. “I also believe that the generosity and concern of the faithful in our diocese will rise to meet this worthy cause.”

If you drive through the cemetery gates, pass the office and head north toward the outside chapel, you may or may not notice a humble but interesting burial spot set aside for priests. The area is marked with simple headstones and informational markers containing bits and pieces about the lives of men who died here and who dedicated their lives to the Church and people of God.

For example, one small slab of marble features a crucifix slightly hidden by St. Augustine grass bearing the name of Father Cyril McDonnell, born 1919, ordained Nov. 30, 1943, died May 17, 2000.

A bigger stone nearby is inscribed with the name Right Reverend Jeremiah P. O’Mahoney of Ireland. The headstone information indicates that the priest was ordained in 1916 at St. Patrick Cathedral in New York City and served as pastor of St. Edward in Palm Beach. He died at the age of 95 after serving the priesthood for 64 years.

The unassuming priest burial spot, with nothing more than a small tree and hedge at the south end, holds a tiny glimpse into history and into the lives of the dedicated men who served God and Church.

“I would be in favor of anything they might do to improve the area,” said Magee, who describes the burial plot that is supported solely by donations as “stark.”

“I love this idea,” said Father Andy Rudnicki, diocesan cemetery director, who is pastor of Our Lady Queen of Apostles in Royal Palm Beach. “We have Bishop Barbarito’s support. We don’t know how far we will go as far as the project. It depends on how much money we receive.”

The project will include the addition or replanting of oak trees and royal palms, a reflection pond and a replica of Michelangelo’s “Pietá,” a piece portraying Jesus on the lap of his mother, Mary, after the Crucifixion. Flowering vines and plants and a row of red cedars are part of the scheme, and a memorial wall with the names of the priests who have died here since the beginning of the 25-year-old diocese.

Jordan said the work will cost an estimated $115,000.

“The location is literally the centerpiece here,” he explained. “The priests deserve a better memorial.”

At this point, leaders of the not-for-profit cemetery ministry are attempting to spread the word of the beautification project and send letters to pastors. Jordan is making visits too.

“I am visiting the parishes, and introducing myself,” he explained.

Catholic dioceses operate hundreds of cemeteries in the United States, but Our Lady Queen of Peace Cemetery with its 53 acres is the only diocesan cemetery here.

What sets Catholic cemeteries apart? Catholic cemeteries are considered a ministry and here the sacred grounds are an extension of the diocese with ministers committed to caring for the dead and reaching out to the grieving.

Our Lady Queen of Peace serves all of the 53 parishes and missions in the five-county diocese, and is home to 8,000 deceased including religious, clergy and laypeople.

Cemeteries are also Catholic places of celebration and faith. Bishop Gerald M. Barbarito traditionally visits the cemetery several times during the year. He was at Our Lady Queen of Peace this month on All Souls Day to pray for the souls of those buried there and their families.

Several times a week, William Doomy, a parishioner of St. Rita in Wellington, visits the cemetery, home to his deceased wife, Caroline, who died seven years ago. He thinks the renovation project for deceased priests is a good idea. His wife is buried in a spot that he selected near the priest burial section, which he considers “sacred grounds.”

The Florida Catholic asked Magee what he thought his frugal uncle, who passed away in 2005, might think about sprucing up the burial ground.

“I am sure my uncle would approve since it will be for all the priests,” he explained. His uncle served in the U.S. Air Force and the Korean War, became a priest for the Archdiocese of Miami after spending some time as a businessman, and served as Archbishop Coleman F. Carroll’s secretary during early assignments after becoming a priest of the archdiocese.

Our Lady Queen of Peace Cemetery was consecrated in 1974 by Archbishop Carroll, and since 1984, when the Diocese of Palm Beach was formed, the grounds have been part of the diocese.

Father Glen Pothier, adjutant judicial vicar in the Tribunal Office, explains that the cemetery is a holy place and that the ritual of the cemetery blessing makes the burial land a special place of “rest and hope.”

“Once blessed, the cemetery is a sacred place and is subject to the canons on sacred places,” he explained.

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