St. Joseph Cemetery

Many people visit the Cemetery; therefore, it is very difficult to control the activity of every visitor. We regret we cannot guarantee flowers from damage or disappearance.

1. Only services sanctioned by the discipline of the Roman Catholic Church shall be permitted at a burial. Consideration of committal services conducted by ministers of other Christian churches will be considered on an individual basis.

2. The lot owner must agree to adhere to all the rules and regulations which have been and which in the future may be enacted for the care of the Cemetery to obtain the right of burial.

3. No monument or grave marker may be erected or installed without the approval of the Cemetery Manager. Designs and specifications of monuments and grave markers must first be submitted for approval before being ordered or placed. Secular scenes and symbols are under the discretion of the Cemetery Manager.

4. Foundations for all monuments and markers shall be installed by the Cemetery. Lot must be paid in full before the erection or installation of any approved monuments.

5. All caskets must be buried inside of a vault. Cremains burials do not require a vault.

6. No mounding of graves or lots shall be allowed. The level of each lot shall correspond to that of the surrounding lots. No one may change the established grade of the Cemetery.

7. The right is reserved by the Cemetery to remove any trees, shrubs, plants, monuments, grave markers, inscriptions or any other objects deemed objectionable or injurious. In particular, shrubs that have grown higher than the monument are subject to removal. Such removal can be made without notice.

8. No fences, hedges, railings, copings or enclosures of any kind shall be allowed to enclose lots, graves, monuments or flower arrangements. Such items will be removed.

9. Glass jars, vases, plastic or artificial grave blankets, decorative flags, wind chimes, pin wheels, whirly gigs, decorative stones, mulch, statues, shepherd’s hooks, hanging plants, concrete products, metal urns, plastic items, any type of solar lights, name plates, balloons, pumpkins, figurines, borders of any kind, Christmas trees and bric-a-brac of any description, etc. are not allowed and will be removed. The Cemetery is not liable for reimbursement of such items.

10. The planting of flowers is allowed up to ten inches in front of any upright monuments only. Please no mulch or decorative stones. Cemetery candles are only allowed in red holders with a cover and must be placed next to the monument. Do not use the solar candles. No shrubs are allowed to be planted in the Cemetery.

11. Winter decorations are permitted ONLY during the period between November 15th and March 30th, and are restricted to the ten-inch area in front of the markers. Such decorations may consist of wreaths, artificial flowers or evergreen boughs placed in flower boxes. Weather permitting, the Spring “Clean Up” will be initiated as soon as conditions allow after March 30th. No artificial flowers or plants are permitted from May 1st to November 14th. Decorations will not be retained by the cemetery. If you wish to retain any of the winter decorations, you must remove them prior to March 30th. Artificial flowers must be removed by May 1st before they are disposed of.

12. In accordance with the flag code governing National Cemeteries, the law allows cemeteries to remove Memorial Day flags as part of their “normal course of maintenance” no sooner than the first working day after July 4, but before Veteran’s Day in November. However, flags must be offered back to families or veteran organizations so they can be placed on graves for Veteran’s Day. St. Joseph Cemetery reserves the right to keep the flags next to the grave marker through the summer and Veteran’s Day. The Cemetery also reserves the right to remove any flag that is damaged in any way for proper disposal. All flags are returned to the VFW after Veteran’s Day. Only cloth American Flags on wooden dowels are allowed.

13. All Cemetery trash is to be placed in the receptacles placed in the Cemetery or taken with you.

14. No planting of flowers, no statuary placement is permitted on flush markers. You may have a cemetery box placed on a flat marker after November 14th. By then all of the leaves have been picked up and mowing has ceased. You are able to place a potted plant on a flat marker for holidays and birthdays of the deceased and they will remain for 10 days. If not picked up at the end of 10 days the Cemetery has the right to remove the item.

15. You do not purchase any title or interest in land or in a crypt. The Cemetery continues to own land and crypts at all times. You are only purchasing the privilege of burial or entombment in a lot or crypt at the Cemetery.

16. You own your monument or stone. Any damage that occurs to your stone is the owner’s responsibility to repair or replace it.

17. The walking of pets is prohibited.
This is private property.

18. No potted plants in the cemetery please unless placed on a flat marker up to 10 days after a holiday or birthday. We ask that you plant the flowers in the ground. This prevents dried out potted plants from blowing around the cemetery.

Perhaps you have asked the question “Why be buried in a Catholic Cemetery?” There are many reasons to be buried in holy ground. Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. Washed in the waters of Baptism, anointed with Holy Chrism and nourished by the Bread of Life, in the Eucharist, we are initiated into the community of the Church. We share in the Divine Life and are united with the Lord and to our brothers and sisters in the Communion of Saints. United to the Community of Faith in life, would we not want to be buried with those with whom we have shared the life of faith?

Throughout our Judeo-Christian history we are reminded of the importance of being buried with our family of faith. In Genesis23:ff, Sarah is buried with her forebears. The burial of Jacob is recorded in Genesis 50:ff and the burial of Joseph is recorded in Exodus 13:ff. When we look at the burial of the Lord Jesus we see that he was not buried in the grave dug for a stranger, but rather the tomb of his friend Joseph of Arimathea. That spirit of communion with our forbears is known as the Communion of Saints.

Small wonder then that Christians wanted to be buried with other Christians in the shadow of the church. To be buried next to the place where the Eucharist is celebrated and received was a visible sign of continuing communion with the Church. On the death of the Emperor Theodosius, St. Ambrose prayed, “Give perfect rest to thy servant Theodosius….where he cannot feel the sting of death, where he knows that this death is not the end of nature but of error….” What a wonderful thought for all who have died.

Images of life have always been a part of the “religious feel” of a Catholic Cemetery. From images of the Good Shepherd with a lamb on his shoulders, to images of Lazarus being raised from the dead, to angels knocking at a tomb these images are wide spread in Catholic Cemeteries. All are life affirming and a reassurance of the Resurrection of the dead for all believers.

Prayer too is an important part of being buried in a Catholic Cemetery. Many people visit the graves of their loved ones, decorating them with flowers and votive lights.

Finally, the grounds are wonderfully maintained and individual graves treated with respect. The well-kept grounds remind us of the Heavenly Jerusalem to which we are called. That is why the removal of flowers that have died and other decorations that are weather worn help to maintain the dignity and holiness of the sacred space. As a result, we are then able to pray, “Requiscat in Pace” Rest in Peace.

—By Fr. David Baranowski