The three parishes of St. Patrick, St. Margaret Mary, and St. Gabriel jointly manage the two Catholic cemeteries of Neenah, WI:
St. Patrick Cemetery
(located in the Village of Fox Crossing at the corner of Green Bay Road and Ridgeway Road)
and
St. Margaret Cemetery
(located in the Town of Neenah, with main entrance off North St and nestled along the northwest side of Neenah's Oakhill Cemetery)
View our informational brochure
by clicking the image above.
Our three parishes of St. Patrick, St. Margaret Mary, and St. Gabriel are responsible for the care and maintenance of the cemeteries. This is overseen by the Cemetery Board, which consists of the pastoral leaders of each parish, at least one laity representative of each parish, and a representative from the Sensenbrenner family. Board members are: Rev. Nonito Barra, Rev. Bob Kollath, Rev. Judah Pigon; Dave Brotski, Terry Gant, Jeanie Klinker, Gerry VanHandel; and Mame Heaney. Patty Enns serves as Cemetery Bookkeeper. Erin Goyette works with the Board to coordinate operations.
Grave Decorations
Decorations may be placed on burial sites as follows:
a) No additions may be made to the burial space (i.e., shrubs, decorations) until the burial rights are paid in full.
b) Any floral arrangements must be placed in rigid containers (no glass or wood).
c) Any floral arrangements must be placed directly in line with the monument, not in front or in back of it.
d) Any in-ground planting of shrubs must be pre-approved by the Cemetery Board.
e) “Fall/Winter” decorations must be removed by March 31st to facilitate spring clean-up.
f) “Spring/Summer” decorations must be removed by September 30th to facilitate fall clean-up.
g) Decorations not removed by designated dates will be removed by cemetery staff.
h) Funeral flowers must be removed from graves 5 days after the burial or they will be discarded.
Cemetery History
These cemeteries have a rich history in our community.
St. Patrick’s Cemetery, located in Fox Crossing at Green Bay Road and Ridgeway Road, was established around 1850 and was originally referred to as the Old Irish Cemetery. This small cemetery is where the Irish Catholic pioneers were buried, and later the German Catholic settlers.
St. Margaret’s Cemetery, located just north of Oakhill Cemetery in the Town of Neenah, is named after Frank J. Sensenbrenner’s mother. On October 6, 1913, Frank J. Sensenbrenner sold 11.6 acres of land for a cemetery to St. Patrick’s congregation for $1.00. The land was conveyed to the parish by Warranty Deed, which requires that the name forever remain St. Margaret’s in memory of Mr. Sensenbrenner’s mother. On December 14, 1954, St. Margaret-Mary Parish replaced St. John and St. Mary Parishes in the governance of St. Margaret’s and St. Patrick’s cemeteries. They were later joined by St. Gabriel Parish in 1959. An additional 6.6 acres, which included a farm house and barn, located west of the St. Margaret’s cemetery, was purchased circa 1961 and was used as a residence by the cemetery sexton (caretaker) until October 2015 when the most recent sexton retired. Since that time, the Cemetery Board has contracted with Oakhill Cemetery to open cemetery plots and the house and barn were razed in December 2016.
Why a Catholic Cemetery?
Catholic Cemeteries are consecrated grounds and are a continuation of your Catholic experience. When you are buried in a Catholic cemetery, you can trust that your Catholic faith will be honored. When it comes to the issue of death, the needs of Catholics are unique and call for certain practices in the handling and care of the remains of the deceased. The consecrated grounds of a Catholic cemetery provide safeguards which guarantees permanence, reverence, and respect for the remains of the deceased as mandated by the Church’s Canon Law. Catholic cemeteries represent a continuation of the belief in the Resurrection for yourself and your family.
Who can be buried in a Catholic Cemetery?
Catholic cemeteries have a long tradition of dedicated service to the Catholic community, including spouses, children, parents and other relatives who are not Catholic. Christians with a connection to the Catholic community may also be buried in Catholic cemeteries. Catholic cemeteries also accept cremated remains. In 1963, the Catholic Church eliminated its prohibition against cremations. Although cremation represents a means of disposition, it is not the “final disposition” - burial is. Human cremated remains are still the body of the deceased – just in a different form. Cremated remains should be treated with the same respect as the “full” body is treated prior to cremation. Burial in a Catholic cemetery means that the deceased will be honored and respected by keeping their remains safe, undisturbed, and memorialized in a timehonored tradition.
Pre-Planning
Why should I think about where I will be buried now?
By making arrangements in advance, you can provide peace of mind to you and your family. Pre-planning ensures that your wishes are known and that your survivors will be spared making last-minute decisions under stress in a time of tremendous grief. Your advance planning will give your family the comfort of knowing they are carrying out your wishes.
How do I get more information on purchasing a plot?
St. Patrick's Parish administers the oversight and management for St Margaret’s and St. Patrick’s Cemeteries. We’ve partnered with Twin City Monument Works, Inc. who can show you the sites available and review options with you.
Cemetery Rules & Regulations
Cemetery Board Bylaws
For more information, contact St. Patrick’s Parish Center at 920-725-8381 or Twin City Monument Works, Inc. at 920-722-8271.