Reverend Joseph E. Kurtz, D.D. Bishop | Archdiocese of Louisville

On a cold February afternoon in St. Louis Cemetery, Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre led a remembrance ceremony where the names of 1,630 Black Catholics buried in unmarked graves were read aloud. The Archbishop emphasized the significance of this act by stating, “Their lives had dignity. Their lives had value. They mattered.”

Deacon Ned Berghausen, who spearheaded the project to find the names of those buried in the once-segregated section of the cemetery, highlighted the importance of speaking the names aloud. He expressed, “There’s some power to speaking their names and calling them to mind to remember they existed and mattered.”

Burying individuals in unmarked graves sends a message that they do not matter, Deacon Berghausen pointed out. He hopes that the ceremony and the efforts to find their names will help restore dignity to these individuals who were deprived of recognition in life and death.

The Archbishop mentioned that among those buried in unmarked graves are significant figures such as one of the city’s first Black doctors, veterans of the Civil War and World War I, and individuals recognized as agents of the Underground Railroad. The Archbishop acknowledged the faith, perseverance, and lives of these individuals as models for the present time.

Deborah Wade, a participant in the ceremony, described the experience of reading the names as one of the most powerful things she has done. She expressed deep emotions, especially when names of children were read, reflecting on the lack of markers for their graves and hoping that their parents were able to mourn them.

Looking ahead, Deacon Berghausen plans to erect headstones for the veterans and a monument with all 1,630 names to further honor and remember those buried in unmarked graves.