Jesus, Michael and Mary
Chris Lane with Tresko Monument Inc. cleans the base of a new statue of Jesus Christ installed at St. Thomas Catholic Cemetery on Wednesday.
BILL BULEY/Press
Chris Lane, left, and Randy Brown with Tresko Monument Inc. install an Immaculate Heart of Mary statue at St. Thomas Catholic Cemetery on Wednesday.
Alex Razimkov and Randy Brown carry a statue of Michael the Archangel while Chris Lane waits to put it in place at St. Thomas Catholic Cemetery on Wednesday.
Water is poured on the statue of Michael the Archangel for cleaning on Wednesday at St. Thomas Catholic Cemetery.
COEUR d’ALENE — Granite statues of Jesus Christ, Michael the Archangel and the Immaculate Heart of Mary installed at St. Thomas Catholic Cemetery each only stand about 3 feet tall.
As far as Annmarie Lander is concerned, however, they are spiritual giants.
"You can’t help but feel peaceful," Lander said on a cloudy, windy Wednesday morning.
Tresko Monument Inc. placed the new statues in their homes in the 3-acre cemetery at the east end of Sherman Avenue.
They are part of a beautification, that began nearly three years ago, of the century-old burying grounds.
The cemetery committee raised about $300,000 for improvements that have included a new perimeter fence, seven statues, four benches, a renovated shrine, veterans monument, signs, QR codes to make it easier to find burial sites and a few hundred pavers at unmarked sites.
Tina Johnson leads fundraising for the projects.
She recalled her reaction when the committee first walked through the cemetery to consider how it could be improved.
"It was tired and needed help," she remembers.
She and others were happy to provide that help.
Today, she said it's completely different; inviting, manicured, tranquil, a good place for walking, praying and reflecting.
"I think doing the fence made the biggest changes," Johnson said of the steel, black fence that now guards the hallowed grounds where more than 3,000 are buried.
Each of the three solid-granite statues installed Wednesday weighs about 100 pounds, stands on a granite base in a 10- to 12-foot circle and will be joined by two engraved benches, perhaps as soon as month's end.
They are in the green space along Sherman Avenue, about half an acre, where the cemetery recently expanded. Johnson said they learned while researching old records that the property, long maintained by the city, belonged to St. Thomas Catholic Church.
Each was paid for by a sponsor.
"We have a good product," Johnson said. "It sells itself, pretty much."
Lander believes the statues are a wonderful addition.
"Absolutely beautiful," she said.
