Otisco Cemetery is located in the rolling hills of the Le Sueur River valley south of Waseca, Minnesota.
It used to be that those who committed suicide were not allowed to be buried within the consecrated boundaries of a cemetery. Instead, they were buried just outside the cemetery on unconsecrated ground.
I had heard of this custom (which seems to have been overwhelmingly Jewish and Catholic), but never had seen evidence until today. My dad never had to bury anyone apart from others because of cause of death.
So I was surprised to learn, after visiting with a group of Lutheran pastors today, that there is an example of this in a cemetery just outside of Otisco, Minnesota. The people of St. Peter Lutheran Church knew the name of the fellow–Paul Kuss–but did not know when he died. I could check it out for myself, they said–take County Road 15 east for a couple of miles, then County Road 5 north for half a mile.
Sure enough, Paul Kuss lies far away from the few dozen others in the tiny, rural cemetery. He died in 1910, when the rules for suicide burials were more widely enforced. This cemetery is associated with the Lutheran church, so clearly some Lutherans also abided by burial restrictions found in other denominations and faiths.
The grave of Paul Kuss in Otisco Cemetery, Minnesota. The tiny gravestones in the background are in the main cemetery. Paul Kuss committed suicide in 1910 and thus is buried in unconsecrated ground. Someone still cares, though–note the flowers.
In the Catholic Church, these rules were relaxed after the sweeping changes of Vatican II in 1962. The bishop used to have to approve church funerals for those who took their own lives, but now it is up to individual parish priests on how to proceed.
The FAQ page for Holy Cross cemeteries in San Francisco addresses the question of suicide and burial:
“It is recognized that those who die from the act of suicide deserve understanding and compassion. The deceased may have been suffering from a serious psychological instability, or overwhelming fear and confusion. Therefore, the church offers funeral and burial rites for those who may have died as a result of suicide. The American edition of the Catholic ritual includes prayers for this specific situation. These prayers evoke forgiveness for the departed and consolation to their family.”
From what I can find, the Jewish religion now has similar sentiments and will bury suicides within a cemetery. Jewish cemeteries also used to have a restriction on burying people who had tattoos, based on Leviticus 19:28, but I think that now has been eased, too.
Have you ever seen any examples of people buried outside cemetery gates?
If You Have Five Seconds to Spare 
I live in loudon nh and at our largest cemetery, we do have 3 or 4 head stones outside of the boundaries and down an embankment. If I remember right, the dates are from around the turn of the century. The worst part is that they have been broken and that area sees no care what so ever. I think most people have forgotten Their down there. It’s sad.
That is sad, Greg. I would be curious to know the history of the people buried there, if they indeed were suicides and had to be buried outside the cemetery.
Rachel, I have to enter this conversation. It’s Memorial Day, and last evening we drove to the town where my mother grew up and is buried with her parents and brother. She died by suicide in 1970. I didn’t worry about “consecrated ground”, but I remember being very protective of her memory not just by the church, but EVERYONE! We had a visitation. And she was cremated because she had told me that’s what she wanted years before. No service because I didn’t want anyone to judge her and add to our family pain. Then my dad, brother and I took her ashes to that cemetery and had them buried on her father’s plot. I said my own prayers hoping that she was truly at rest and out of all her physical and emotional pain. But then there was years of trying to understand why. And with help from psychotherapy, journaling, and the love of my family and friends, I reached a place of contentment, insight, and resolution. I’m still a Lutheran because its familiar, and it provides comfort and hope. I never believed that God could reject the mother I knew. I’m sure they had a good talk, however.
Sheila, you have my sympathies. I’m glad your mother’s ashes were buried on her father’s plot, that she could be near family. Thanks for sharing.
I do know the thoughts about suicide have changed in the Catholic church. There’s an interesting new collaboration between the Archdiocese of Orange in California and Pastor Rick Warren of the Saddleback church to come together and help families and individuals in dealing with questions about mental illness, suffering, and suicide. Interesting pairing, but I like to see those strides.
Graham Greene novels seem to have that Pre-Vatican II spirit in them when he talks–as he so often does–about suicide. Wow, I’ll be thinking about Paul Kuss when I say my prayers.
Paige
That sounds like an interesting collaboration. For so long, silence has surrounded those issues, leaving many families with questions. It’s good to be talking about them.
I’m embarrassed to say I haven’t read Graham Greene yet! That’s not uncommon; there are so many great novelists I have not checked out. I think I would like Greene.
I think you would as well. I have a tendency to get interested in an author, then I want to read all of their books. I taught the very slim “The Tenth Man” back in Nebraska. I often recommend his “Travels with my Aunt,” because it’s a truly funny book. 🙂
Paige
Thank you for posting this information…I had no idea. Interesting the rules we can conjure up in the name of God. Cheers!
Isn’t that the truth!?
This is news to me, a Lutheran. Sad in many ways. But most definitely comforting to see that someone still cares about Paul Kuss.
I agree. I assume he must still have family in the area.
I cannot think of a first-hand example, but I know that there are rules in my own faith, Orthodox Christianity, concerning the matter. There also seems, I gather from brief discussions with fellow Orthodox who have known suicides and how they were treated by their parishes, a tendency to be sympathetic to the despair of the person whose life ends in such a way. I regard this sympathy as generally a good thing. It seems the canons of the Orthodox Church prescribe that, if a suicide can be determined to have been “out of his mind,” then he may receive a Church funeral and burial: otherwise, the answer is no.
Let me beg your forgiveness and assure you that I do not do this often, but I wrote about precisely this topic last year, when I came across an essay and translation about Orthodox law on this subject: Bind up the brokenhearted: na na na na na. In any case, I have more or less summarized my position here too. And I think that these kinds of rules are lurking beneath a number of faiths and yet not too widely or saliently enforced.
Fascinating post. I’m always glad when I see your blog at the top of my reader and decide to do a bit of catching up.
Thank you for the kind words! And thank you for sharing the perspective from your faith. It sounds like by and large, churches in many religions and denominations tend to be more empathetic to situations like the one I described. That’s good to hear.
I’m more likely to see burial grounds for unbaptized babies when I’m in Ireland, though I have seen large open plots in the middle of large cemeteries in the States, without headstones, and those seem to have served that purpose–and then when the cemetery expanded, people were buried around them. I don’t know if that action brings those within consecrated ground, but I’ve always wondered.
Great observations! I forget that those who were unbaptized also could not be buried in a cemetery. I can imagine where that would be more common in Ireland where so many old graveyards abound.