Cemetery

St. Joseph parish cemetery. It is the final resting place for deceased parishioners, including some who passed away more than 150 years ago.

As a Catholic cemetery, the St. Joseph Cemetery serves as a symbol of the extended community of believers, a community unbroken by death. It stands as a reminder of the need to prepare throughout our lives here on earth for that life which is to come and to pray for the repose of the souls of those who have gone before us. Our parish cemetery is holy ground. It is a refuge for remembrance, prayer, service and peace.

Our cemetery contains the collective history, personal recollections and communal memories of countless individuals who have gone before us marked with the sign of faith. As we stroll among the quiet pathways and listen to the songbirds and gentle breezes that accompany us, we are reminded of God’s presence, Christ’s promise and the Spirit’s power to transform our lives.

Time spent here remembering and reflecting on their lives will hopefully remind us of their personal legacy and our shared journey of faith.

Cemetery – For more information about the cemetery or to purchase a burial plot, contact our Cemetery Coordinator at (262) 375-6500. Cemetery administration is provided from the St. Joseph Parish Center, located at 1619 Washington Street, Grafton. Those who manage and care for the cemetery are committed to those who rest here and to their family and friends who come to remember them. The cemetery has a Perpetual Care Fund, managed by the parish’s Investment Committee. The earnings on this fund augment proceeds from plot and niche sales, to fund cemetery operating and maintenance costs into perpetuity.

Funerals and Burial – See the Funerals and Christian Burial page.

Cemetery Committee – The parish Cemetery Committee works with our Cemetery Coordinator to provide a dignified, environmentally-sensitive burial site, and infrastructure to support activities that honor and respect all who are buried there. The committee monitors activities and the upkeep of the St. Joseph cemetery grounds, not only on the day of interment, but also for ongoing grounds maintenance. Behind the scenes, cemetery management also entails capacity/expansion planning, pricing and selling burial plots, filing and maintaining public records, reviewing operating results and budgeting. If you are interested in joining the Cemetery Committee, please contact the Cemetery Coordinator at (262) 375-6500

St. Joseph Parish Cemetery
4^th Avenue and Washington St. Grafton, WI  53024

The earliest date of death in the cemetery is July 13,1864

St. Francis Xavier Cemetery – Town Ten
One block west Maple Road, on Pleasant Valley Road, Cedarburg, WI

The cemetery dates back to 1849, when St. Francis Xavier was a mission church of St. Joseph Parish. Rededicated in 2022, St. Joseph Parish holds the property rights and cares for the St. Francis Xavier Cemetery.

The earliest date of death in the cemetery is July 23, 1844.

Burial Rights: Single Grave

• Burial rights for one casket OR
• Burial rights for one casket & one urn OR
• Burial rights for two urns

Burial Rights are sold through the St. Joseph Parish Office. Check made payable to St. Joseph Parish with “Cemetery Plot” on the memo line.  Full payment is due at time of purchase, and before a grave may be opened.  A monument may be placed following full payment.

Burials

• All burials are handled through a funeral home of your choice.
• All burials require individual approved vaults.
• An urn may be buried above a casket, if the casket is buried first, and subject to available space.
• Winter burials are subject to Wisconsin State Law (157.114)
• The burial permit fees and all costs associated with opening the grave are handled by the funeral home with the representative of the deceased.

• Monument foundation maximum width for a single grave is 42” and 84” for a side-by-side grave.
• Monument/marker must allow a four inch concrete border on all sides.
• Granite or bronze permanent markers are permitted. Placement is encouraged within two years of death.
• All buried remains must be identified on the monument.
• Bronze military markers may be placed on the front or back of the monument. Arrangements for placement shall be made with the monument company by a representative of the deceased.
• Care and maintenance of a monument is the responsibility of the purchaser, heir or assigned person.

• All decorations/plants must be confined to within 12” of the front and width of the monument.
• Generally toys, ceramic statues, balloons, and miscellaneous items are not permitted. The parish reserves the right to remove items immediately or after a period of display.
• American flags, permanent vases, and permanent votive candles are allowed.
• Seasonal decorations include: Christmas wreaths and Easter crosses, which will be removed before the next season.
• From Memorial Day through Fall Clean Up, flowers may be planted. Rock, bark mulch, edging/curbing is not permitted.
• Cemetery clean up occurs during late March and mid-October. It is the responsibility of the purchaser, heir or assigned person to retrieve items they wish to keep. Anything left on the graves will be disposed of.
• The cemetery reserves the right to correct or remove, at any time, any decoration or planting that is unsightly or overgrown.

• The cemetery is open for visitation from dawn to dusk.
• As our St. Joseph Parish Catholic Cemetery is the final resting place for our loved and faithful departed, we support respect of the dead and as well as our visitors. We observe common courtesies and the avoidance of boisterous conversation, loitering, and playing on the grounds.
• Animals are not allowed.
• Placement of signs and solicitation are not allowed.
• Firearms are prohibited except by military or police escort involved in a funeral/burial service.

• Disinterment and reinternment in the same cemetery. The funeral home of choice will coordinate the move with parish and the contractor.
• Disinterment of the remains of a deceased person and reinternment in another cemetery is governed by the Statutes of the State of Wisconsin and by the regulations of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. The funeral home of choice will handle the proper documents and oversee transportation.  In either case:
  • Parish staff or representative must be present during disinterment.
  • Costs are the responsibility of the person arranging the disinterment.
  • The parish assumes no liability for damage to any casket, urn, vault or monument during disinterment.