Cemetery in Troy keeps past secure while expanding

By PAT PASTERNAK- | Comments: 0 | Leave a comment

Crowning one of the highest points in Troy, St. Mary's Cemetery sits atop a hill between Tibbitts and Brunswick roads in the north end of town.

"This cemetery was opened sometime in the 1840s," said manager Albert Doyle. "It's a very popular place, especially during the warm weather months after Memorial Day. People love to decorate the graves here."

Encompassing 97 acres, St. Mary's is one of the oldest and largest cemeteries in the Albany Diocese. The staff also serves two other cemeteries in the area: St. John's in Lansingburgh and St. Jean Baptiste on Spring Avenue.

Helping families

Ann Marsh, assistant manager of St. Mary's, and Mr. Doyle meet with family members when they come to the cemetery to arrange plans.

"We take as much time as people need to make the arrangements," she said. "It can be a sensitive process."

The cemetery schedules about 300 burials a year; but for each family, Mr. Doyle explained, it has to be as if that burial were the only one.

"Each family must be taken on an individual basis, their wants and their needs satisfied," he said. "We understand that they're grieving, that sometimes the death of their loved one can be unexpected. We are here to assist them. That's what our job is all about. Whatever their wishes are, we will work with them to see that they are met."

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St. Mary's Cemetery includes a mausoleum with a chapel there where Masses for the deceased are celebrated.

This year, a new burial site was added that provides free interment for the infant children of Catholic families. It is marked by a statue of Mother Mary, Queen of Angels.

"We felt that this was an important addition to our cemetery," Mr. Doyle explained. "It provides the family with a protected place for their child, while offering parents and family members a quiet area for prayer or meditation when they visit."

Sites within cemetery

In the original section of the cemetery, the road winds down a steep hill. Impressive monuments can be found along the roadway, interspersed with smaller markers. Both types reveal the ethnic backgrounds of Troy's early settlers.

"There are a lot of Italian and Irish buried at St. Mary's," Mr. Doyle noted, pointing out an impressive monument marking the grave of one of the founders of the city.

(For information about St. Mary's, Mr. Doyle or Ms. Marsh can be contacted at 272-0931.)

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