It is a private cemetery for priests of the Franciscan Seminary in Lemont Township, Cook County, Illinois is located on a wooden hillside on east side of Saint Mary’s Slovenian property along Main Street. There are approximately 55 individual gravestones and a memorial gravestone with five additional names of those buried in New York. Saint Mary’s Church began in about 1923 and initially had a wooden structure, like most churches in Lemont.

The Seminary was started in 1938 and more information is available at their web site. The earliest birth is 1861 and the latest is 1931, with most born in the early 1900s. This indicates few entering the order after 1950. The average age at death was 69.9 years with six dying under age 50 and four were 90 or older. Fourteen men died between age 60 and 69, fifteen between 70 and 79, and eleven between 80 and 89. There appears to be two sets of brothers. But the birth and death dates do not tell the whole story. It’s better to look at the estimated beginning of service in the ministry by adding about 21-25 years to the birth. Many other shrines and picnic areas are on the grounds and photos are included to give you a feel for the whole site. There is an outdoor worship area and an artificial lake to commemorate Lake Bled in Slovenia.