CEMETERY DOCUMENTS
Contact Information
Saint Augustine Catholic Cemetery
175 W. DeKalb Pike
King of Prussia, PA 19406-2360
Saint Augustine Cemetery Office
120 Jefferson Street
Bridgeport, PA 19405
(610) 275-1750
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All Cemetery Business is conducted at the Rectory.
History of Saint Augustine's Cemetery
The Reverend E.J. Gatley, the first pastor of St. Augustine’s Church, realized the need for a parish cemetery in order to provide a dignified burial place for his parishioners. On June 11, 1897, nineteen acres of woodlands was purchased from the William Carver, Jr. estate. It would take a few more years after the purchase of the land to prepare it for its intended use.
The October 21, 1899 edition of the Catholic Standard and Times carried the following story concerning the consecration of the cemetery:
Bridgeport's New Cemetery Consecrated
Saint Augustine cemetery, Upper Merion, was formally opened on Sunday afternoon, October 16. 1899 when it was consecrated with imposing ceremonies. The exercises were witnessed by several hundred persons, mostly parishioners of Saint Augustine’s, Bridgeport.
Reverend E. J. Gately, pastor of Saint Augustine’s Church, was master of ceremonies. And Reverend Phillip McDevitt, of Philadelphia, Superintendent of parochial schools, acted as consecrator. The orator of the occasion was Reverend. F. More, of Our Lady of Mercy, Philadelphia, PA . A number of other clergy acted in the capacity of chanters and added to the success of the affair.
The new cemetery consists of 19 acres of land about a half mile above McKinney quarries, on the DeKalb Street Pike, well on the Crest of Red Hill.
A plot of seven acres has been improved and “cemeterized” in accordance with modern ideas of an artistic necropolis. A substantial fence with arched gateway encloses the plot, which has been macadamized and cut into ample driveways, and lots well graded and drained. As about nine acres of the entire tract is woodland of a large and picturesque growth, this cemetery suggests by its environments the old-time burial ground, while at the same time conforming to the requirements of the present.
Catholic cemeteries exist as an affirmation of many sacred beliefs, including:
- The sanctity of all human life
- The dignity of the human person
- The resurrection of Christ
- The resurrection of all the dead at the end of time
- The importance of remembering the dead and offering prayers for them
More than a place to bury the dead, a Catholic cemetery is holy ground, consecrated by the Bishop, for worship and prayer, similar to churches. Now in its third century of existence, St. Augustine Cemetery continues to fulfill the mission for which it was founded: the burial of the dead who await the Second Coming of Christ.
We invite you to visit our beautifully maintained cemetery and to consider choosing it for your final resting place.