Father Onderwater’s
remains uncovered
PHILIPSBURG--The bones of Catholic priest Jordanus Onderwater were uncovered Monday by archaeologist Jay Haviser in the Catholic cemetery on Front Street, ending a nine-day search. The remains have been buried for the past 115 years.
The bones and other artefacts, including a button, were removed and taken to St. Maarten Archaeological Centre Simarc for forensic analysis by Haviser and Dr. Michael Mercuur.
Once the analysis is completed, the bones will be reburied in St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church on Front Street. Father Thomas Krosnicki is hoping to have the remains reburied in the church around August 5. A short ceremony is planned at the cemetery, where the remains will be placed in a stainless steel box. A procession will follow the transport of the box to the church.
Onderwater, who was the first editor of Amigoe di Curaçao newspaper, is the only priest of the Dominican Order buried in St. Maarten. The discovery of the grave prompted Krosnicki to pursue the removal of the remains so they could be buried in the church.
Haviser and his Simarc team were called in to locate the remains. The first excavation pit, dug where the grave marker was found, only yielded a number of voodoo artefacts. It was later ascertained that the grave marker probably had been placed at the base of the cemetery centrepiece after being blown over by heavy winds.
For the second excavation, the limestone tomb had to be broken to clear the way for digging. Reaching the remains was difficult, as a number of large boulders were unearthed under the tomb.
Haviser reached the outer edge of the rotting coffin, located about seven feet below the surface, on Sunday. Originally, Onderwater was buried at the traditional depth of six feet, but over the years, the weight of the topsoil forced the coffin down about one foot more.
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