June 29, 2006

Restoration to begin at Catholic cemetery in Black Rock

Plans have been formulated to restore St. Francis of Xavier Cemetery in Buffalo’s Black Rock Section. Opened in the late 1800s following a flu epidemic in the city, the land that makes up the cemetery has shifted in recent years, causing some monuments to tilt and the ponding of water from heavy rains and melting snow.

Carmen Colao, director of the Catholic Cemeteries of the Diocese of Buffalo, will oversee the project. “The success of this plan will depend on securing the financial resources and volunteer services needed from the many families and businesses that may be interested in seeing the cemetery restored,” he said. “We have already had volunteers come forward to help with the ongoing maintenance of the cemetery. We will work to repair and reset functional monuments. Those monuments that are unrepairable will be buried in the graves and will be replaced with a lawn level granite marker.”

Stone Art Memorial of Lackawanna will help to reset the monuments. Workers from the parish and from the Catholic Cemeteries will remove dead trees and stumps from the property, fill in low spots and will contract for the repair or replacement of fence lines.

Father James M. Monaco, of St. Francis of Xavier Parish, said, “We are grateful to those who have come forward to help our parish restore this cemetery. Itis important that we continue to be reverent custodians of the Catholic family members buried there.”

Efforts are being made to locate as many families as possible who may have descendants buried in the cemetery. St. Francis Xavier Parish opened in 1849. Originally, the parish consisted of many German and Polish émigrés. Individuals or organizations interested in helping with the project should call the rectory office at 873-1911.

The cemetery is located on Niagara Street, surrounded on three sides by Riverside Park.

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