Calvary Priest Memorial

the following article appeared in the parish bulletin for the weeks of May 17 and 24, 2020

It would seem that upon his arrival, Fr. McGrath took a particular interest in the parish cemetery and the need to beautify and improve it.  The history for the 50^th anniversary of the church in 1920 identifies that not a day passed that he did not visit the cemetery.  So, it is not surprising that within a year of his arrival, Fr. McGrath announced improvements to the parish cemetery on Cedar Street.  This would be the first of many improvements that he would make over the course of his tenure at Milford, before it became his final resting place as well, at Christmas of 1920.  In fact, much of what is admired today as Saint Mary’s Cemetery is the result of his vision and singular effort to make the cemetery a place of dignity and beauty as our beloved departed await the resurrection of the last day.
As was his custom, at the 10:45 AM Mass on Sunday, October 29, 1905, Fr. McGrath announced an anonymous and generous contribution toward the construction of a new tomb.  This is located near the infamous Round Tower and faces to the back of the cemetery.  It was hewn from a large boulder imbedded in the terrain near the Round Tower and so is unseen from the main road.  Built by the Webb Pink Granite Company, at a cost of $5,000, its façade is constructed of Milford granite and blends beautifully with the surrounding area.  This tomb was used for several decades by the cemetery during the winter when the burial of bodies was impossible because of the frost that froze the ground and made burials difficult if not impossible.  With the advances of modern technology and power equipment, the need for this tomb is no longer necessary since burials can occur at the cemetery year round, without regard to the depth of the frost during winter months.  The main area of this tomb is easily fifteen by twenty feet, more than large enough to accommodate the needs of the parish for its winter burials.  The sole stipulation of the bequest was that when necessary, the donor would have use of the front area for the internment of their beloved upon their death.  For reasons lost to history, the donor never made good on this stipulation.  The tomb is unused and in the 1990s the doors were removed and it was permanently secured without any remains having been  interred there.
He next turned his eye to the border of the cemetery and the appearance from the street as well as creating an attractive frame for the grounds.  In 1906, he employed Patrick Ferguson to construct an impressive granite wall along Cedar Street.  This wall designed by Robert Allen Cook and was built by Mr. Ferguson at a cost of $2,507.23 and has stood for over a century.  In 2016, the wall was repointed and repaired at a cost of over $40,000.  On June 10, 1909, new cast iron gates arrived from a foundry in Detroit, Michigan and were installed at the main entrance.  They remain as the main gates from Cedar Street today.
The summer of 1908 saw much activity at the cemetery as Fr. McGrath had a natural spring beyond the Round Tower and the Tomb excavated to create a second ornamental lake.  For several weeks, workmen were busy digging, grading and then seeding the banks of the new lake.  In an article in the Milford Daily News of September 30, 1908, Fr. McGrath explained that he was ‘anxious that the cemeteries be well kept and since his coming here has bent his energies to that end.’  In the latter part of the 20^th century, this lake was removed and the ground filled in.  It can be identified now in the 21^st century by the lack of burials in this area and that in early spring it often floods because of the underground spring that fed the lake created by Fr. McGrath and removed by subsequent leadership.
The other improvement that Fr. McGrath made to the cemetery was to install a new monument for his parents’ burial place.  In the original cemetery which is south of Hamilton Ave, the marker is a Roman cross, that rises twelve feet in height made of Westerly granite.  It stands on a pedestal of solid granite and the arms of the crossbeam are four feet in length.  It is here, with his beloved parents, that the remains of this faithful and dedicated servant of Saint Mary’s Parish rests peacefully today.
However, the most remarkable achievement that Fr. McGrath realized for the cemetery is one that he never saw.  In his will, he left a sum for the installation of a bronze sculpture of the Crucifixion that stands near the Round Tower.  It was to be a memorial for the priests of the parish and is situated in an area that could be used as a burial ground for the priests of the parish.  It would be the responsibility of his executor, Fr. Hanrahan to oversee the details of this work of art and to secure its installation.  Daprato Statuary Company was founded in Chicago in 1860 by four Daprato brothers who immigrated from Braga, Italy.  They became renowned for their excellent craftmanship of statuary.  In 1904, they opened a branch in New York and in 1909 were designated a “Pontifical Institute of Christian Art” by Pope St. Pius X.  In 1983, the descendants of the founding brothers joined forces and their company is now Daprato Rigali Studios.
Their monumental work, known as “The Crucifixion Group” has two figures standing on either side of our Lord crucified.  The cross stands twelve feet above its pedestal and there are two figures, each five feet in height, on either side of the cross, these are depictions of Our Lady and the Beloved Disciple, Saint John.  There is a third figure, generally understood to Mary Magdalene, who is kneeling at the base of the cross.  The sculpture is crafted of Orbronze, a combination of superior metals with a highly perfected copper surface, oxidized and finished to give it a permanent finished bronze appearance; this makes the piece non-rusting, non-corrosive and weather proof.  Standing on a pedestal of Milford pink granite with the names of the former pastors of Saint Mary’s Parish, it is a work of beauty that endures and inspires even to our own day.  Nearly a century after its installation, it has no evidence of the elements it has withstood these hundred years of New England snow, rain, and wind.