St. Mary’s Port Credit Roman Catholic Cemetery
Location:
2099 Dickson Road, Mississauga, Peel Region, Ontario, Canada.
Concession 1 SDS, Lot 6, Toronto Township.
Note: This cemetery is not actually located in Port Credit, but rather, somewhat north of Port Credit.
It is at the end of Dickson Road, which is north off Premium Way.
To get to Premium Way, take the North Service Road off the QEW, west of Hurontario Street.
GPS:
Latitude: 43.56279°N
Longitude: -79.61097°W
History:
The first St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery on Lakeshore Road was closed in 1918 and land was purchased for a new burial ground on Lot 3 Range 3 Credit Indian Reserve. According to William Perkins Bull the land was purchased from Michael Collins, though Trudy Mann states that another account suggests the land was purchased by a company and divided into ten five acre lots, two of which were purchased by St. Mary’s Church. However, it was not until 1923 that the new cemetery was used for burials.
In the appendix to his book, From MacDonell to McGuigan: the history of the growth of the Roman Catholic Church in Upper Canada (Perkins Bull Foundation, 1939), Bull states:
“Since latter part of 1923 all Port Credit burials, some 250, have been made here. Neighbouring real estate owners objected to the use of this land as a graveyard, but the Provincial Board of Health approved it. … This gently sloping burial-ground is in good condition. There are cinder roads and paths and ornamental trees and shrubs throughout. It is well fenced and has a permanent caretaker. The charge is $21 for an adult’s grave, and $10 for a child’s. There are no regulations regarding headstones.”
There are now well over 2,700 burials and three columbaria have been added. There are upright monuments in the older section of the cemetery, but the decision was made to use only flat stones for ease of maintenance of the grounds.
Many of the names on the stones reflect the diverse character of Mississauga and the surrounding area. Among the burials are two of the priests who ministered to the congregation of St. Mary’s Star of the Sea, Father Bernard McIlduff and Father James Sheridan.
St. Mary’s Port Credit Catholic Cemetery is administered by the office of Assumption Cemetery, 6933 Tomken Road, Mississauga. Entrance to the cemetery is from Dickson Road off Premium Way, north of the Q.E.W. and west of Hurontario Street.
Dorothy Kew
Transcription purchase:
Transcriptions of this cemetery are available for digital download from the OGS website – click here to order via credit card.