Calvary Catholic Cemetery, Bodega, California

Our Parish cemetery, Calvary Catholic Cemetery, is located near the junction of Bodega Highway and California Highway 1 near Bodega.  It is a country cemetery, well-maintained, with many recent improvements  in a lovely setting.  Graves for earthen burial as well as a new outdoor columbarium for cremated remains are available.

We have installed the new limestone altar donated by Jim and Jackie Smith. It is a beautiful addition to our parish cemetery. I hope you take a moment to visit the cemetery and see the altar along with all the other improvements we have done this year. If you are interested in purchasing a plot or getting information about our cemetery, please get in touch with Jim Smith at (707) 875-3953 or click here to send email.  

History

Calvary Catholic Cemetery, Bodega is frequently called St. Teresa’s Cemetery.  The cemetery came into being in 1869.  The land (two acres) formerly owned by Jasper O’Farrrell was sold on June 4, 1869 by John C. and Bridget (Brannigan) Stump to Archbishop Alemany, for one hundred dollars in gold coins.  On the deed John Stump used the old spelling of his family name and signed “J.C. Stumpf” while his wife, Bridget, signed her name as “Bridget Stump”.  John Stump wasn’t Catholic; his wife Bridget was a native of Ireland, and a Catholic.  She is thanked for getting the “wheels in motion” for negotiating the land in early 1868 and with the sell 1869.  The first burial that year was Thomas Johnson who was seven years old; the second was Willie Long, five years old.  

The oldest monument in the cemetery is 1860.  The burial sites of members of the Quinlan and Gaffney families have caused some to believe burials were allowed on the land by earlier owners before it was sold to the Stump family and officially dedicated Calvary Cemetery.  Over the years the cemetery has been maintained by the members of St. Philip/St. Teresa Parish.  Burial sites are still available.   

Contact Information

Please contact our Parish office or Jim Smith for information on purchasing a burial site in Calvary Cemetery, Bodega. 

Jim Smith
(707) 875-3953
email (click here)