Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery, Menlo Park
Established in 1872, the Church of the Nativity of Our Lord located on Oak Grove Avenue near Middlefield Road acquired the town cemetery in 1883 and named it Holy Cross Cemetery. The surrounding communities had utilized the cemetery since the late 1860's.
Archbishop William Patrick Riordan journeyed to Menlo Park that same year to consecrate the burial grounds in this churchyard cemetery. Holy Cross of Menlo Park was fully established and serving Roman Catholic families four years prior to the first burial at Holy Cross Cemetery in Colma.
The initial layout and landscaping of Holy Cross was undertaken by world-renowned landscaper, Michael Lynch. His local projects included many of the grand residences of that era along with large portions of Stanford University.
In 1953, officials with Stanford University required the relocation of burials at the site of the first St. Denis Catholic Church to make way for the development of the linear accelerator. Many of these reinterments occurred at Holy Cross Cemetery on Santa Cruz Avenue. A historical marker that tells this story can be seen upon entering the cemetery by way of the main gate.
At the present time the cemetery continues to serve Catholic families in the southern portion of San Mateo County. Recent years have seen as many as 100 burials per year and the current interment register includes in excess of 5400 names. Many of these family names tell the story of the early years on this part of the Peninsula.
