History
Resurrection Cemetery was founded in 1949, when the Diocese of Madison was formed, by combining two existing, adjoining cemeteries - Holy Cross and Calvary. These cemeteries were established in the mid-1800's to serve the Catholic populations of the St. Raphael, Holy Redeemer, St. Patrick and St. James parishes in the downtown area. Today, Resurrection Cemetery serves the Catholic population of all the parishes in the Madison area, as well as former residents who have relocated out of town but wish to be buried back in Madison. The Cemetery is centrally located at Regent Street and Speedway in Madison, and is over 40 acres in size. Buried within Resurrection Cemetery are many of the pioneer citizens of Madison, as well as Bishop William O'Connor, the first Bishop of Madison, who died in 1973, and Bishop Robert Morlino, the fourth bishop of Madison, who died in 2018. Comedian Chris Farley is also buried here.