A shrine to Our Lady of Guadalupe was blessed and dedicated at Calvary Cemetery to honor those who have had their grave markers destroyed due to past construction on Nov. 8.

The shrine also includes a cenotaph (a large granite marker) where the names of those with destroyed grave markers interred before 1959 can be inscribed at no cost to the family. Bishop Thomas Olmsted performed the dedication ceremony, which included several hymns and readings.

Members of the diocese of Phoenix, suited in Catholic dress uniform, stand at attention during the shrine to our Lady of Guadalupe on Nov. 8 at the Calvary Cemetary. Ben Weitzenkorn/ The Lumberjack

The cemetery underwent a series of renovations in the mid-1950s, during which some of the grave markers were destroyed. Many of those graves were never located.

Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted dedicated a likeness of the Virgin Mary at Calvary Cemetery Sunday. The statue is a memorial to the persons buried there before the cemetery was modernized. Ben Weitzenkorn / The Lumberjack

Father Patrick Mowrer, who assisted with the dedication, said it is important to remember those who might have been forgotten due to the destruction.
“[There were] good intentions to put roads into [the cemetery] and so forth, and people were notified, but not everyone got the notifications,” Mowrer said. “So bringing [The Lady of Guadalupe] back kind of represents a sense of healing. And the cenotaph, the large marker in the back, will just represent all those people who were there.”

Victoria Vargas, who grew up in Flagstaff and now resides in Phoenix, said she thinks the shrine will better honor those buried at the cemetery.
“I come back for memories,” Vargas said. “My mother’s here, my father’s here, grandma and grandpa, aunts and uncles; I think it’s so wonderful because even my husband’s mother is somewhere here, and when you come, what are you going to look for? Because there’s nothing to come for, nothing to pray to or bring flowers to. Not only myself, I mean, there’s a lot of families that like this idea. [This dedication is] for people whose bodies we know are here but no longer have a visible marker.”

Olmsted said he has heard an outpouring of positive feedback from the people. “We thought it was very important because people, when they come here, want to be able to pray, or at least have some concrete reminder, like their name,” Olmsted said. “So this will allow them to come here; those names will be here.”
Our Lady of Guadalupe became a symbol of great importance to Mexican Catholics after her image appeared on a peasant’s cloak. It is also said she appeared on Tepeyac Hill near Mexico City and spoke to Saint Juan Diego. The image is still intact, and many Mexicans make a pilgrimage to see it. Our Lady of Guadalupe has also been the symbol for the nation of Mexico since the country won its independence from Spain.

Also notable at the event was local activist Dan Frazier, who stood across the street protesting the Catholic Church’s decision to build their new church on McMillan Mesa. Frazier said he came to try and get the attention of Bishop Olmsted, who is closely connected with the plans to build the new church.
“Since I heard he was coming to this event, I thought this would be a good chance to connect with him in my own special way,” Frazier said.