“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
Matthew 11:28-30
80-01 Metropolitan Avenue Middle Village, NY 11379
St. John Cemetery now encompasses approximately 190 acres here in the community of Middle Village, NY. Though not the first cemetery established for Catholic families of the Brooklyn Diocese, St. John Cemetery is one of the largest, and serves as the main office for our Catholic Cemeteries.
To serve the ever-growing needs of families in Queens and Brooklyn, Bishop John Loughlin, the first Bishop of Brooklyn, purchased the Mills farm located in Middle Village in 1879. The cemetery was consecrated on November 27, 1881, and as time progressed and space at Holy Cross Cemetery in Flatbush became limited, St. John Cemetery increasingly began to serve the needs of more parishioners of Brooklyn as well as Queens.
In 1933, the acreage on the southern side of Metropolitan Avenue was developed and made available for interments and, finally in 1947, the last parcel was procured and developed, bringing St. John Cemetery to the one hundred and ninety acres currently maintained and cared for.
In 2007, St. John Cemetery was transferred from the Diocese of Brooklyn to Saint John’s Cemetery Corporation to enhance the supervision and operation of this cemetery. The Saint John’s Cemetery Corporation was created in 1872 by a Special Act of the New York State Legislature at the request of the first Bishop of Brooklyn, Bishop John Loughlin, for when the Cemetery of St. John was first established. Today, Saint John’s Cemetery Corporation owns and operates all the cemeteries for families of the Brooklyn Diocese, including Holy Cross Cemetery in Brooklyn, Mt. St. Mary Cemetery in Flushing, and St. Charles/Resurrection Cemeteries located in Farmingdale, Long Island.
- Franciscan Sisters of the Poor
- Montfort Fathers
- Spanish Vincentian Fathers
- Conventual Franciscan Friars
- Daughters of Wisdom
- Fathers of Mercy
- Grey Nuns of the Sacred Heart
- Irish Holy Ghost Fathers
- Italian Priests
- Lithuanian Franciscan Friars
- Missionaries of Charity
- Sisters of Charity of Halifax
Daily and Special Masses
Masses are currently celebrated Monday – Friday at 9:30 AM
Special Field Masses are also celebrated at our Cemeteries on Memorial Day and All Souls Day.
St. John Cemetery Map
Driving Directions to St. John Cemetery
- Northern State Parkway Westbound – Northern State Parkway turns into Grand Central Parkway once you enter Queens. Continue on GCP, stay in leftmost lane and enter Jackie Robinson Parkway west. Exit at Metropolitan Avenue 1st exit and make right onto Metropolitan Avenue. Once you cross Woodhaven Blvd proceed approx. 1/2 mile to main entrance on right at Metropolitan Avenue and 80th Street.
- Southern State Parkway West – To Belt Parkway west to Cross Bay Blvd exit. Make right onto Cross Bay Blvd heading north. Cross Bay Blvd turns into Woodhaven Blvd. Continue straight to Metropolitan Avenue. Make left onto Metropolitan Avenue and proceed approx. 1/2 mile to main entrance on right at Metropolitan Avenue and 80th Street.
- Long Island Expressway Westbound – To Exit 19 Woodhaven Blvd / Rockaway. Right at end of ramp and south on Woodhaven Blvd to Metropolitan Avenue. Make right onto Metropolitan Avenue and proceed approx. 1/2 mile to main entrance on right at Metropolitan Avenue and 80th Street.
- Midtown Tunnel – to 495 (Long Island Expressway Eastbound). Take to exit 19 Woodhaven Blvd. At light make right onto Woodhaven Blvd. Once on Woodhaven Blvd, follow LIE westbound directions above.
- Belt Parkway Eastbound – To exit 17 (Cross Bay Blvd) At light, make left onto Cross Bay Blvd. Follow Southern State Parkway westbound directions above.
- Whitestone Bridge – Van Wyck Expressway to 495 Long Island Expressway west. Follow LIE westbound directions above.
- Throgs Neck Bridge – Clearview Expressway to 495 Long Island Expressway west. Follow LIE westbound directions above.
- Triborough Bridge – Grand Central Parkway to 495 Long Island Expressway west. Follow LIE westbound directions above.
- From South Central N.J. – Take I-95 north to exit 10 Metuchen (Rt.440). Follow signs to 440 Verrazano Bridge. Take Upper Level of Verrazano and stay in leftmost lane while on bridge to easily exit onto Belt Parkway heading towards eastern Long Island. Take Belt Parkway to exit 17 Cross Bay Blvd. Make left at light onto Cross Bay Blvd. Follow Southern State Parkway westbound directions above.
- From Northern N.J. – George Washington Bridge onto the Cross Bronx Expressway. Follow signs onto Throgs Neck Bridge. At end of bridge proceed onto the Clearview expressway to 495 Long Island Expressway. Follow directions LIE westbound above.
- I-95 South into New York – Follow New England Thruway (95) to exit for Throgs Neck Expressway (Rt.695). Follow signs for Throgs Neck Bridge. Throgs Neck Bridge follow signs for Clearview Expressway. Take Clearview Expressway to 495 westbound to exit 19 Woodhaven Blvd. Follow LIE westbound directions above.
