St. Louis Cemetery

Duane's take

The way the marker at St. Louis Cemetery tells it, here's how Duane's passing it along to you. Now, out here in Medina County, some places carry weight the moment you set foot near them, and this is one of those places.

St. Louis Cemetery has been serving the Parish of St. Louis Catholic Church since Castroville was founded, all the way back in 1844.

That is not a young piece of ground. That is ground with memory. The original burial area is still outlined by a stone wall, built in 1860, and that wall has been holding the shape of this sacred space ever since.

You can trace the boundary with your eyes and know exactly where the beginning was. The earliest marked grave belongs to Katharina Haldy, who died in 1849, and the marker tells us she had migrated to Texas two years before that. She came a long way, made it here, and this cemetery received her.

Also resting in this ground is Amelia Castro, who died in 1871. She was the wife of Henry Castro, the man who founded the town itself. Think about that for a moment.

The founder's wife, in the founder's town, in a cemetery that has stood since the founding. Roots don't get much deeper than that. A marble and granite altar was dedicated here in 1951, giving the place a permanent focal point for the living who still come.

And they do still come. Every November 2nd, on All Souls' Day, an annual prayer service and Mass is conducted right here at this cemetery. The conversation between the living and the dead, still going.

Still annual. Still November. Some ground, it just holds on.

What the marker says

This cemetery has served the Parish of St. Louis Catholic Church since the founding of Castroville in 1844. The original burial ground is outlined by the stone wall, which was built in 1860. The earliest marked grave is that of Katharina Haldy (d. 1849), who had migrated to Texas two years earlier. Also buried here is Amelia Castro (d. 1871), the wife of Henry Castro, who founded the town. The marble and granite altar was dedicated in 1951. An annual prayer service and Mass is conducted here each November 2, in honor of All Souls' Day. 1980