Calvary Cemetery in Santa Barbara held a blessing Monday to mark the opening of its new burial section dedicated to Saint John Vianney.

The blessing immediately followed the Memorial Day Mass led by Auxiliary Bishop Slawomir Szkredka that honored the memory of veterans who served in the armed forces.

The Mass and the blessing were held in the cemetery at the location of the new burial site, and chairs were set up for the attendees.

After the Mass, Bishop Szkredka walked the grounds of the site and blessed the field and the garden with holy water.

According to Bill Castro, the director of pre-planning and sales administration, the new burial section will be a place in the cemetery where priests and other members of religious orders can be buried or entombed.

However, parts of the section will be available for patrons who want to be buried alongside the priests.

Because the area is partially reserved for members of the priesthood, Vianney was chosen as its patron saint. Vianney, a French priest, is known as the patron saint of priests.

“Saint John Vianney is in every single one of our cemeteries,” Castro said. “We have 11 cemeteries in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, and six mortuaries. So, he’s very prevalent in all of our cemeteries because in almost all of our cemeteries we have a section that’s dedicated for a priest and religious order.”

About 50 plots will be set aside for priests and members of religious orders. Additionally, the cemetery has a columbarium in the burial section that can hold cremated remains.

Another addition to the section is a cremation garden that features personal columbarium for families. The area features standing memorials with stone books and a large monolith with a cross.

Along with the new burial site, the cemetery also had a re-dedication for the flagpole in the veterans section of the cemetery. The dedication was led by local historian Neal Graffy.

In his speech, Graffy discussed the history of the plot and told the story of the California Native Cavalry and its role during the Civil War.

According to Graffy, the members of the cavalry were known for their horse-riding skills and were asked to defend California and the Southwest during the Civil War. The goal was to defend the area and protect reserves from potential Confederate sympathizers.

The group consisted of 87 members and their captain. It was the only Spanish-speaking group at the time, and it had only one translator.

Many of the members are now buried at Calvary Cemetery along with veterans of other wars.

“It brings me to tears to let these gentlemen know that they are not forgotten,” Graffy said.

After the re-dedication of the new flagpole, a new American flag was raised to half-staff.