The 19th-century graves were relocated in January. (Frank Petruso)

Dear Preservation 911,

In a short essay I wrote last year, I wondered how many more times that I was going to be able to visit the grave of one of heroes, the beloved Black Robe, Father Pierre-Jean DeSmet. The small cemetery in St. Louis County, Mo., where he rested was being threatened with destruction.

I now have an answer: none. Father DeSmet's grave no longer exists.

I'm not the only one dazed and appalled over this. We residents of northern St. Louis County, Mo., had always assumed that Father DeSmet, the 10 Jesuits who accompanied him to the American frontier in 1821, and 110 other priests would always be here with us. After all, we thought that their resting-place was under the most logical and caring stewardship that it possibly could be: the Jesuit Society.

A damaged headstone (Frank Petruso)

But then, one morning last month, they came. They showed up with a dump truck and backhoe. They had their orders from Father Frank Reale, the Father Provincial of the Jesuits here in St. Louis. By early afternoon, the backhoe had clawed up the earth from a dozen graves. The last grave uprooted that day was DeSmet's.

Whatever motivated Father Reale to disinter these vanguards of his own religion remains unclear. Whenever he or the hierarchy above him was contacted on the matter, the answers I got were either "That's just the way it's going to be," or "Sorry, not my problem," followed by silence. Meanwhile, the graves came out. Father Reale assured a reporter that it was all done with the greatest of respect. Perhaps he can explain how one respectfully uses a backhoe on a gravesite.

I've lost sleep over this. I asked myself how any religious order can so desecrate the graves of its forerunners. The episode has challenged my usual habit of finding good in even the worst situations. It's hard to look at a pile of rubble and remain optimistic. However, a little good has come from this. If I should ever question whether or not my work in historic preservation is worth it, all I'll need to do is remember Father DeSmet's grave. I've also learned that we need to be a lot more vigilant than we are now. Our heritage is never completely safe—sometimes not even in the hands of those we should most trust with it.

The loss of Father DeSmet's gravesite and the arrogant manner in which it was lost has outraged many here in St. Louis County. While it's too late to save his gravesite, we still need to express that outrage.

Sincerely,

Philip Jose

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