Resurrection Catholic Cemetery

04/10/2026

Calling all photographers! Our Office of Cemeteries will once again be holding a photo contest as part of its Catholic Cemeteries Week in November! Any photos submitted must be taken before October 30, 2026. So, consider this your invitation to visit one of our diocesan or parish cemeteries this spring to snap some photos! Or, if you'll be traveling, you can also submit pictures from ANY Catholic cemetery around the world! Winning entries will be featured in the Catholic Herald, and winners will enjoy a private dinner with Bishop Hying.

Whether photography is your hobby or your profession, we want to see your snapshots of our cemeteries! Submissions open October 1, but you can view rules and guidelines at madisondiocese.org/photocontest

04/01/2026

The Catholic Church believes that at the end of time, our bodies will be raised and reunited with our souls. God will grant us a share in Christ’s own bodily resurrection.

03/25/2026

By bringing our children to funerals, we invite them into the reality and mystery of death. This experience helps them develop empathy and compassion for others.

03/23/2026

03/12/2026

Mark Your Calendar: 2026 Spring Clean-Up. Spring clean-up at Resurrection Cemetery in Madison begins March 15 and runs through April 15. During this time, decorations placed during the winter season will be removed. If you wish to retain decorations, please remove them before March 15. Seasonal decorations can be placed again starting on April 16.

03/10/2026

The next 3rd Friday Mass at Resurrection Cemetery in Madison (located at 2705 Regent St.) is March 20 at 10:00 am! Students from Chesterton Academy - Queen of Martyrs will be providing music, and Msgr. James Bartylla will celebrate. The public is warmly invited to attend; please join us in praying for the dead who are buried in our Catholic cemeteries.

03/05/2026

What is a human being? What happens when we die? Why do we visit cemeteries? And why do Catholics bury the dead instead of scattering their ashes?Today, Fr. ...

02/26/2026

The best way to mourn with someone is to be present with the person, walking with them in their grief. Rather than offering platitudes, we should ask questions and listen.

02/19/2026

https://youtu.be/9wM5F_G7e-Q

Many people find it peaceful to walk through cemetery grounds or simple sit by the tombstone of their loved one. Cemeteries give people a place to connect wi...

01/13/2026

Why are eulogies not allowed during the funeral Mass?

Eulogies have their place: at the wake before or after the Vigil, graveside before or after Committal, at the funeral luncheon, or printed in the funeral program or parish bulletin. And eulogies have their purpose: to honor the deceased, share our stories, and express our grief.

The funeral Mass, along with the Vigil and the Committal, are liturgical prayers of the Church which celebrate the mercy won for us by Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross, and which seek to apply that mercy especially to the deceased. Anything that distracts from that intense, prayerful focus on Christ’s mercy is excluded, and can be considered an injustice toward the deceased for whom we are praying. The Church has taught in several places – the General Instruction of the Roman Missal (382) and the Order of Christian Funerals (141) – that eulogies are specifically excluded from funeral Masses. This is not to say that eulogies are bad, but rather that their place is not within the liturgy.

Have a question for the Director of Cemeteries? Send it to Damian.lenshek@madisondiocese.org and your question may be featured in the next installment of Down to Earth.

11/14/2025

All in the diocese are welcome to this month's Third Friday Mass at Resurrection Cemetery next Friday, November 21 at 10:00 am! This Mass is a wonderful way to pray for those who are buried in our Catholic cemeteries, especially during this month dedicated to the holy souls in Purgatory. Please join us!

11/02/2025

November 2 is observed as the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed, or All Souls Day. Today, the Church asks us to pray for the holy souls in Purgatory.

All Souls Day and the first week of November come with special opportunities to receive indulgences for the holy souls in Purgatory, meaning the temporal punishment for their sins is remitted and they can enter swiftly into Heaven. On November 2, you can pray an Our Father and the Creed for the dead in a church or chapel. And between November 1 and November 8, you can pray for the dead in a cemetery. The usual conditions for indulgences (receiving the Eucharist, going to Confession within 20 days, praying for the intentions of the pope, and detachment from sin) also must be met; if any of them are lacking, the indulgence given is partial rather than plenary.

May the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.