By Amy White
The Texas Catholic

Along with her husband Leon, Anita Kubin serves as a history-keeper of sorts for St. John Nepomucene Catholic Church in Ennis. The two preserve the legacy of their community through their work on the parish’s cemetery committee.

The couple, who married in 1971, has lived in Ennis since the 1970s. Anita joined St. John Nepomucene in 1976, but Leon grew up in the community.

“It’s a Czech community, so there’s a very close-knit relationship with the Catholic community,” Anita said, adding with a laugh, “You don’t dare say something bad because you’re probably related to them somewhere.”

The couple first assumed care of St. Joseph Cemetery in the late-1990s, when the parish’s cemetery committee was reestablished. Although records dating back to 1976 showed that an official cemetery committee existed in the past, the group had ceased to function over the years, Anita said. The committee officially reformed in 1997, and the Kubins were part of the new group.

“In 1997, there were roughly seven people who came together and reestablished the committee to help organize and make sure that we were functioning as a respectable cemetery,” Anita said. “We enhanced the rules and regulations for the cemetery at that time.”

With the rest of the committee, the couple began “insuring that the cemetery is always presentable and a good place to visit,” Leon said.

Anita’s contributions focused primarily on the computerization of cemetery records.

“We needed a computer with the cemetery information, because everything was on paper; it was in several different locations; and we didn’t always know who was buried at St. Josephs,” she said.

Besides the sheer amount of information to be computerized, the committee faced other challenges. Church records had been burned in a fire in the 50s, Anita said, which meant that any information prior to that time had to be obtained via internet deep dives.

Anita delighted in the research and continues to appreciate the historical aspect of her ministry.

“I thoroughly enjoy being able to work with the cemetery group because it gives me a lot of insight into Czech traditions. Everybody is connected,” she said. “We think we have, up to this point, about seven generations of individual families that are buried at St. Joseph.”

Leon added that his own family connections go back generations. “Parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, as well as extended family are buried at St Joseph,” he said.

“We try to keep the cemetery nicely organized, and we try and keep our data as up to date as possible,” Anita explained. “So, I keep a tab on all the obituaries, and I communicate with the church secretary to make sure that we’ve got things documented.”

Brad Allen, business manager at St. John Nepomucene, said that the Kubins’ involvement with the cemetery committee has blessed the parish.

“Their hard work ensures that the cemetery is taken care of,” Allen said. “For many families, they have comfort in knowing when they go to St. Joseph Cemetery, the cemetery is in great condition.”

Allen said that the Kubins’ decades-long dedication to the cemetery is rooted in care.

“They care about their parish; they care about their cemetery; they care about their community; they care about their family,” he said. “Both Leon and Anita are very caring people.”

Under the tutelage of the cemetery committee, the St. Joseph Cemetery has grown and improved over the decades.

“The cemetery now is probably close to 15-20 acres. We have over 5,000 names in the system,” Anita said. “We have, through word of mouth, one of the nicest cemeteries in the area. Our group has really worked to keep things aesthetically pleasant to visit.”

After decades of serving the living by honoring the dead, the Kubins were recognized with the Bishop’s Award for Service to the Church during a Mass celebrated by Bishop Edward J. Burns at the National Shrine Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe on April 20.

“We can’t quite believe that we’re getting any kind of recognition, because that’s not what we went into this for,” Anita said. “We’re extremely honored.”