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Our Cemeteries, Our History

In remembrance of the 100th anniversary of the Halifax Explosion, the office of the Catholic Cemeteries of Halifax published, Gone But Not Forgotten: Victims of the Halifax Explosion in Catholic Cemeteries. The book details the stories of Explosion victims buried Holy Cross Cemetery on South Park St. in downtown Halifax and Mount Olivet Cemetery on Mumford Rd. in west end Halifax.

Over the summer two students worked in cemeteries providing assistance to families searching for relatives as well as tours of the cemeteries with a focus on the victims of the Halifax Explosion. Each yellow stake in both cemeteries indicates the resting place of an explosion victim.

To provide more information to visitors to the cemeteries five new interpretive signs have been placed in Mount Olivet and Holy Cross. These signs were made possible thanks to a grant provided by the Halifax Regional Municipality.

Four of the interpretive signs are found in Mount Olivet and can be found in the following places:

  • near the entry to cemetery indicating the history of the Explosion and the purpose of the yellow stakes
  • near the grave of one of the firemen killed in the Explosion which tells the stories of the five firemen buried in Mount Olivet
  • in Section Two near the grave of Vincent Coleman and many others that perished in the Explosion
  • in Section Three which mentions the unidentified dead, members of the military, and others buried in the section

The fifth sign is located in Holy Cross near the Our Lady of Sorrows Chapel. It highlights three firemen who were killed in the Explosion.

CatholicCemeteriesHalifax InterpretivePanels July2017 PROOF 4

Gate of Heaven Cemetery

Located in Lower Sackville opening in 1938, the cemetery is 31 rolling acres of land for traditional and cremation burials for our beloved departed.

Holy Cross Cemetery

Located in Halifax opening in 1843, houses the chapel built in one day and is the resting place of many historical and Irish families.

Mount Olivet Cemetery

Located in Halifax opening in 1896. Those buried in the cemetery include people from the Titanic, the Halifax Explosion, and both the World Wars.