OXFORD | Driving along County Road101 you may notice a flurry of development, followed by rural cattle and farmland. Then Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Cemetery comes into view with its high gate. It is the newest cemetery in the region of The Villages and the only Catholic cemetery for more than 50 miles.
Located within 10 miles of four parishes and within 25 miles of 10 parishes, the cemetery is the answer to the desire and needs of the more than 20,000 Catholic families in the area.
Bishop John Noonan cut the ribbon inaugurating the cemetery, April 28, 2026, and blessed the grounds and buildings.
The long-awaited day arrived greeting those gathered with skies as blue as Our Lady’s mantle, while occasional clouds offered respite from the sun. It seemed appropriate for the opening of the Diocese of Orlando’s second new cemetery in six years – named after Our Lady of the Holy Rosary.
Eric Cerini, director of cemeteries for the Diocese of Orlando, said it was an exceptional moment, especially since U.S. dioceses are not building new cemeteries due to their great cost and the trend toward cremation rather than full body burial. Rather than new construction, diocesan and parish cemeteries are expanding with the addition of cremation gardens.
In the Diocese of Orlando, three parish cemeteries are expanding this way. And in the past six years since its opening, Queen of Angels in Winter Park assisted with 538 casketed burials versus almost 1,000 cremation burials, according to its cemetery manager Stephen Kuehne.
Cerini praised Bishop Noonan for recognizing the need for a new cemetery near The Villages and for willing to commit to such a project.
Our Lady of the Holy Rosary is a vast 60-acre property. Its first phase includes more than 2,000 full body burial sites, the air-conditioned Lumen Christi Columbarium that houses more than 1,000 glass-front niches for cremated remains, 140 above ground granite burial sites, 46 private estates and an administration building. According to Cerini, the property is about one-third built out with plans for expansion in the future. Two and a half acres of retaining ponds serve to beautify the landscape and assist the local fire stations with water distribution.
“Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Cemetery stands as a testament to our commitment to providing a place of peace, remembrance, and hope,” said Cerini. “As we open our gates, we welcome families seeking a sacred space where memories are cherished and faith is honored.”
Bishop John Noonan recalled his arrival to the Diocese of Orlando 17 years ago and how priests and parishioners frequently spoke of the desire for more Catholic cemeteries. “And now, the dream has become a reality,” he said. “Anytime you open a cemetery, that’s a rare occasion, but to open such a beautiful cemetery, it is really astonishing. And it’s really hope-filled for me just to see that we care not just for the people in certain aspects of their life, but most especially during a very important moment in all our lives. The day we are born, but the day we die and the day where they are putting us back into the ground is a beautiful occasion. Again, to know that we’re going to a place that’s not only holy, but beautiful.” He added, “When people come in here, they’re going to not only see its beauty, but get a real sense of peace and hope. And that’s where we all want to be in a sense. When people are mourning, it’s not about words….there’s an ambience of peace here and calm and prayerfulness.”
The bishop was astonished by the beauty of the landscape and feeling of peace the cemetery imparts. Speaking to cemetery designer Wendy Fry he told her, “When I saw it, I couldn’t believe it.… when you see the reality, it’s beautiful.” He further complimented her ability. “You are one of those rare species of being, able to talk about – not just landscape – but landscape in the sense that brings peace.”
And that was one of the primary goals in designing Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Cemetery. Fry explained, “This is designed so that it’s not your average cemetery — that’s just enormous row after row after row of burial. We tried to make the burial gardens for the full-body burials and the cremation burials more intimate, more garden-like, so that you could recognize where your loved one’s buried and you could come back and find them. So that’s a special thing. We weren’t going for maximum density. We were really going for the experience, so that it would be more little neighborhoods or little gardens or little recognized, sizable locations, as well as different size burials depending on what your budget was.”
The cemetery is designed in the shape of a rosary, with medians representing the first three beads and later the mysteries. A statue of Mary welcomes visitors arriving at the first mystery. Eventually paths will enable guests to walk and pray the rosary. Approaching the Lumen Christi Columbarium and offices, one follows a cross made of blue pavers calling to mind Our Lady.
Commenting on the theme of Our Lady, Bishop Noonan said it recalled the Pietà, “as she takes her son down from the cross and holds him in her arms. I think that’s a beautiful example. And for Catholic cemeteries, that’s always kind of the model for all of us, being held in the arms of Mary. And being able to find that peace of bringing the Lord into our life again.”
Priests from surrounding parishes came to experience the cemetery for themselves so they could return and share what they found with parishioners. Pastor of St. Mark the Evangelist in Summerfield, Pauline Father Rafal Kandora shared the excitement of his parishioners. His is the closest Catholic church to the cemetery – only 4 miles away – less than a 10-minute drive.
Father Ralph DuWell, pastor of St. Timothy in Lady Lake said, “(The cemetery) exceeds my expectations.” He noted many parishioners go to the Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell, but many others wants to be buried in a Catholic cemetery. “Right up until the time they meet St. Peter, they want to identify with the Catholic roots.” His parish receives hundreds of calls a year inquiring about a Catholic cemetery. He noted many parishioners, “although they’re not supposed to do this, have taken their ashes and they put them in the closet waiting for a Catholic cemetery.” He was happy to know those remains would soon find their way to their home on sacred land.
Director of Cemeteries, Cerini confirmed this indicating he has received numerous calls from faithful wanting to lay their family member’s ashes to rest at last.
Father Patrick Sheedy, pastor of Blessed Trinity in Ocala was surprised to find the cemetery is only a 30-minute drive away. He plans to tell his parishioners of its proximity and beauty.
Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Cemetery in Oxford is open as of April 29, 2026, by appointment only to those already on a previous waiting list. A public grand opening will be announced in the near future.
For more information email Travis Oberlies, toberlies@catholiccemeteriescfl.org.
