ne Frädhoff (en kjoakjhoff)
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| Cmetarz mennonitow (Mennonite Cemetery in Poland) (c) A. T. Przechlewski |
Often it is only historians and new
mourners who worry about the upkeep of our ethnic heritage sites such as
graveyards and cemeteries. Perhaps the time
has come to consider the need for a national (international?) Mennonite foundation to
begin looking after this aspect of our shared and endangered diasporaic
heritage. For an ethnicity of historic
religious and political refugees, these remnants of our periodic stops along
the Martyrs’ Trek, are essential
historic markers preserving the dignity and truth of our group narrative and
missionary outreach. While many have
traveled to view the graves of our ancestors in Amsterdam, Danzig, Poland and
Ukraine, future generations will likewise look towards graveyards in Litchfield,
Henderson, Coaldale, Steinbach, Yarrow and Chinook for traces of their (our)
family stories – and signs of the historic faith that led our faith
predecessors to migrate and to establish new homes.
Recently (25 April 2012), Jennifer Stultz
alerted us via the Peabody Gazette of
the challenges of maintaining this shared heritage. She quotes Catlin Cemetery upkeeper Don
Stutzman, “We’re having trouble
maintaining the cemetery and could use some help. … There is a lot of history
to learn here yet and we are searching for a way to sustain the upkeep,”
(Stultz, see below).
