Cemetery of the Holy Rood
The Cemetery of the Holy Rood is a Roman Catholic cemetery located in Westbury, New York. The 65-acre (0.26 km2) cemetery, established in 1930, is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre.
History
In the 1930s, the then-Diocese of Brooklyn established a 65-acre (260,000 m2) cemetery named for the Holy Rood. The grounds of the cemetery are considered part of the greater Hempstead Plains. In 1956, with the creation of the Diocese of Rockville Centre, Holy Rood Cemetery's jurisdiction was transferred to the newly formed diocese. The cemetery also contains the burial grounds of Saint Brigid's Cemetery (formerly a part of Saint Brigid's Roman Catholic Church), a cemetery founded in 1856 that was eventually absorbed into the assets-management of Cemetery of the Holy Rood or Catholic Cemeteries.[1]
In 1998, the Diocese of Rockville Centre caused a certain amount of controversy when it announced that mementos and toys could no longer be left on children's graves. Even though leaving such items on graves was always in violation of cemetery rules, officials had previously turned a blind eye to the practice in the children's section.[2]
The Island of Hope
The cemetery contains a triangular grassy area called "The Island of Hope" for the burials of abandoned babies, nearly all of whom are the victims of neonaticide. It is owned by the Children of Hope Foundation, founded by Tim Jaccard, an ambulance medical technician with the Nassau County Police, to pay for funerals and marked graves for abandoned babies and children. As of 2007, 88 children were buried there.[3][4]
Notable burials
- Lucia Albanese (1909-2014), Italian-born American operatic soprano[5]
- Carl Braun, professional basketball player[6]
- James Joseph Brown, mining engineer[6]
- "Unsinkable Molly" Brown, survivor of the RMS Titanic sinking and estranged wife of James Joseph Brown[7]
- William J. Casey, former Director of Central Intelligence [7]
- Oleg Cassini, fashion designer[6]
- Bob Chipman, Major League Baseball player[6]
- Don Dunphy, boxing announcer[6]
- Peter J. Ganci, Jr., FDNY Chief of Department (died on 9/11/2001)
- Max Hirsch (1880-1969), American Hall of Fame racehorse trainer
- William J. Hirsch (1909-1997), American Hall of Fame racehorse trainer
- George C. Lang, Medal of Honor recipient[6]
- Joseph Lannin, former owner of the Boston Red Sox[6]
- Frank McCormick, Major League Baseball player[6]
- Jay Monahan, television personality, legal analyst for NBC, husband of TV host Katie Couric[6]
- Cliff Montgomery, American football player[6]
- Billy Murray, Irish-American singer[6]
- George M. Skurla, aeronautical engineer[6]
- John W. Wydler, former member of the United States House of Representatives[6]
- Sam Zoldak, Major League Baseball player[6]
References
- ↑ Richard Panchyk, History of Westbury, Long Island, The History Press, 2007, p. 133. ISBN 1-59629-213-X
- ↑ David Winzelber, "Cemetery Bans Mementos on Child Graves", New York Times, November 22, 1998. See also: Howard Mansfield, The Bones of the Earth, Shoemaker Hoard, 2004, p. 54. ISBN 1-59376-040-X
- ↑ Richard, Weir, "Names, dignity & hope", New York Daily News, March 5, 2007
- ↑ Peter Applebome, "A Resting Place Incongruously Called Hope", New York Times, March 8, 2006
- ↑
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 "Find A Grave - Cemetery of the Holy Rood". Retrieved 2009-06-17.
- 1 2 David Winzelberg, "From Here to Eternity: Choice Burial Sites", New York Times, November 14, 1999
External links
- Holy Rood Cemetery official site
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Coordinates: 40°45′03″N 73°35′04″W / 40.75083°N 73.58444°W