Private tours can be given. Also a one hour indoor presentation can be given.
Mont Marie Cemetery was started in the spring of 1971 on the grounds of the Sisters of Saint Joseph Motherhouse. It is the northernmost of the two cemeteries in that area. The other cemetery is that of the Calvary Cemetery of the Sisters of Providence.
Both cemeteries are part of the Brightside Neighborhood.
stop 1 – Gates of the Cemetery
You can visit cemetery in daylight hours. You can quickly get a sense of what the layout of the cemetery is by wandering about. The artefacts are from the various motherhouse that the Sisters of St Joseph have had around New England.
stop 2 – Motherhouse Bell
The bell that is located close to the gates is from the Springfield Massachusetts motherhouse. That original motherhouse is closed but the bell remains. Their motherhouse was near St Michael’s Cathedral.
stop 3a-3b-3c – Statues around the Cemetery
Each one is from a different motherhouse of this order. All were based in New England. One is from Springfield, one from Fall River, and lastly from Vermont.
stop 4 – Cross
The cross is the symbol of this cemetery. Rev James Alfred Lane donated this cross to help the nuns – FINDAGRAVE
stop 5a-5b – gravestones
The oldest gravestone is that of Sr Lawrence Marie Dower who died the 5th of May 1971. The stones on the southern side of the cemetery are for the nuns. The stones on the northern side are for their parents that select to be buried here.
The nuns that came over from the Rutland Vermont order tend to continue to be buried in that community in a special section of Calvary Cemetery in Rutland. See HERE.
stop 6 – Labyrinth
The labyrinth was created in the last ten years. Give it a try. You should feel the spirit.
A book was written about this labyrinth so READ about it at their link.
stop 7 – motherhouse and neighborhood
This is not the original building at this site. This one is from 1971. It started as a summer rest home but quickly it also became a novitiate. The motherhouse in Springfield closed and this became the motherhouse for the order.
In the middle is the chapel for the Mont Marie motherhouse.