Downers Grove in DuPage County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

St. Bernard of Clairvaux

(1090-1153)

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, April 12, 2025

1. St. Bernard of Clairvaux Marker

Inscription. This section was founded in 1913 and dedicated to the life of Saint Bernard.

"You must dwell also on the glad rememberance of God's loving kindness."

Erected by Diocese of Joliet.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Religion & Religious Structures. A significant historical year for this entry is 1090 CE.

Location. 41° 46.502′ N, 88° 2.58′ W. Marker is in Downers Grove, Illinois, in DuPage County. It is on Hobson Road 0.4 miles west of Belmont Road (County Route 2). The marker is in Holy Family Cemetery. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2501 Hobson Road, Downers Grove IL 60516, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Greater Chicago.

It is also in the American Midwest

and on the Great Lakes.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture

and also the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker,

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measured as the crow flies: Veterans Memorial (approx. one mile away); a different marker also named Veterans Memorial (approx. one mile away); Lottie Holman O’Neill (approx. one mile away); Memorial Park (approx. 1.3 miles away); Monarch Habitat (approx. 1½ miles away); An Illinois Nature Preserve (approx. 1.7 miles away); Welcome to Belmont Prairie (approx. 1.7 miles away); Belmont Prairie (approx. 1.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Downers Grove.

More about this marker. The marker has identical text on either side.

Regarding St. Bernard of Clairvaux. Saint Bernard of Clairvaux was the founder of the Knights Templar, the French Catholic military order. Bernard was canonized as a saint in 1174. This graveyard was originally known as St. Bernard's Cemetery; it was renamed Holy Family Cemetery by the Diocese of Joliet in 2015.

Also see . . .
1. Downers Grove Cemeteries. From the Downers Grove Historical Society

Excerpt: "Holy Family Cemetery ... was formerly known as St. Bernard’s Cemetery. The first known interment was in 1913. In 2015, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Joliet renamed this
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, April 12, 2025

2. St. Bernard of Clairvaux Marker
long-forgotten cemetery to Holy Family as part of renovation and expansion that included a land acquisition and construction of a new columbarium. Interments have increased since the expansion."

(Submitted on April 15, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

2. Saint Bernard of Clairvaux. From Franciscan Media

Excerpt: “But Western Europe's 'man of the twelfth century,' without doubt or controversy, had to be Bernard of Clairvaux. Adviser of popes, preacher of the Second Crusade, defender of the faith, healer of a schism, reformer of a monastic Order, Scripture scholar, theologian, and eloquent preacher: any one of these titles would distinguish an ordinary man. Yet Bernard was all of these—and he still retained a burning desire to return to the hidden monastic life of his younger days."

(Submitted on April 15, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

Holy Family Cemetery image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, April 12, 2025

3. Holy Family Cemetery

Credits. This page was last revised on April 15, 2025. It was originally submitted on April 15, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 166 times since then and 19 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on April 15, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.