The Marianist Cemetery

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The Marianist Cemetery is a landmark on St. Mary’s University campus where brothers of the Marianist faith are buried. The site was created in the early 1900s and has experienced very few changes in over a century. Each gravestone in this site is identical in appearance to the first one placed so as to maintain the unity expressed in the Marianist spirit that is central to the university. Amongst the brothers buried in the cemetery, there are some buried who were not brothers but earned burial here by meeting outstanding requirements. In the first row, there are people who have contributed to St. Mary’s for their entire lives, and with special permission, they were allowed to be buried in the cemetery despite not being brothers.

Brother Jim Jaeckle is the brother in charge of most things regarding the cemetery, and these responsibilities range from the logistics of managing the cemetery to burying the brothers himself using only his trusty hand-tools and his fierce resolve. Every gravestone is a fine white marble that is cut to a precise dimension before being sent to the university campus. During 1986, San Antonio experienced one of its worst snowstorms in history, and it all happened when Brother Jim had to bury a brother. Through 13 inches of snow, a job had to be done, and Brother Jim was the man for it. He recalls, “It was a beautiful thing to see, but a mess to deal with.” Afterward, Brother Jim had to deal with the melted snow and the great amount of mud that came with it all in a day’s work.

The Marianist Cemetery is not only a burial site for brothers of the faith but also a place where one can find peace and comfort. Every brother interviewed said the same thing, the cemetery is a place where men have devoted their lives to the faith, and so remembering the lives of these men has created an aura of peacefulness and rest surrounding it. From the early 1900s to today, the Marianist Cemetery will always remain a paramount landmark of St. Mary’s University