St.  Mary Catholic Church

A Parish of the  Roman Catholic Diocese of Lincoln

ST. MARY CATHOLIC CEMETERY

Rules & Regulations

Updated 5-24-24

 

The Cemetery Board of St. Mary Catholic Church in the Diocese of Lincoln has established the following rules and regulations for burial at St. Mary Catholic Cemetery and for the care and maintenance of the cemetery.

  1. The purchase of a grave space grants the holder the following: right of burial in the space and normal maintenance of the grave space, as outlined by St. Mary Cemetery. Please note: the charge for a grave site grants use of the site only and does not grant ownership of the land to the holder.
  2. To properly maintain our cemetery, the Cemetery Board must approve all setting of foundations and monuments prior to their construction and installation. Only headstones may be used as a monument. No marker or other ornament may be placed at the foot of the grave site. Slab markers are only permitted in Sections A & B. No monument can be placed on a grave site until full payment has been received for the grave site. 
  3. Due to insurance regulations, digging of graves, including cremation, by individuals other than those contracted by the cemetery is not permitted. A staking fee of $50.00 will be charged for marking the grave site for out-of-town funeral directors. Checks should be made payable to St. Mary Cemetery.
  4. No cemetery grave and/or lot can be sold, transferred, or donated to someone else without the approval of the Cemetery Board. If a request is made to sell graves or lots back to the Cemetery, the request must be made from the current owners or the remaining living members of the family.  Refunds will only be given upon approval of the Cemetery Board for grave sites in Section C & D; from 1-10 years would be 75% of the original purchase price, from 10-20 years it would be 50% of the of the original purchase price and over 20 years, there would be no refund. There are no refunds for graves or lots in Sections I-VI, A & B unless purchased within the past 10 years. The refund would follow the same as Section C & D. The 25-50% retained by the cemetery is used for perpetual care.
  5. The number of traditional, adult, full body burials shall be limited to one per grave site. The number of cremation burials shall be limited to two per grave. A combination of one full body burial and one cremation burial in one grave is permitted with the exception that the full body burial must be buried first and the cremains burial must be buried at the foot of the grave. Only human remains can be buried in a grave.
  6. When the cremated remains of two individuals are planned to be buried in a single grave site, the first cremated remains will always be buried on the west end of the designated grave site to prevent the possible disturbance of these remains when the second burial takes place.
  7. Due to space limitations, when two individuals are buried in the same grave, only one monument shall be permitted. However, it may contain information about both of the deceased.
  8. Full body burials shall be buried at the traditional depth. Cremated remains shall be buried at a minimum depth of 36 inches below the surface.
  9. Unless otherwise determined by the Cemetery Board, the owner or successor of the owner of the grave site is responsible for straightening and repair of monuments.
  10. No artificial decorations will be allowed, unless in permanently secured vases or saddles, with the following exceptions: Memorial Day weekend and eight (8) days following; Christmas weekend to April 1; One week following a funeral. 
  11. Digging holes, planting flowers, shrubs or trees is not permitted. Permanent decorations such as benches, fencing, stones, statues, vigil lights, shepherd hooks and ground staked solar lights are not permitted. Glass or other breakable objects are never permitted. Food or drink items left on markers are not allowed. See posted regulations in cemetery, also.
  12. The Cemetery Board reserves the right to remove and dispose of all items that do not comply with #10 & #11 and interferes with the maintenance and upkeep of the cemetery.
  13. St. Mary Cemetery reserves the right to reclaim a grave site after a period of fifty (50) years when there has been an extended period of non-use or other evidence that the gravesite has been abandoned or otherwise forfeited by the owner. Notification in the local paper will be given before reclaiming the gravesite. 
  14. No religious ceremonies other than Catholic shall be allowed within the cemetery.


Rules and Regulations are subject to change by the Cemetery Board


Cost for Grave Sites (subject to change)


A.    Registered Parishioners:

  1. Sections I-VI are $250.00 for single grave site and $500.00 for two-grave site
  2. Sections A, B, D are $275.00 for single grave site
  3. Sections A-D are $550.00 for two-grave site


B.    Non-Parishioners:

  1. Sections I-VI, A, B, D are $450.00 for single grave site
  2. Sections I-VI, A-D are $900.00 for two-grave site


Single grave sites are only available in sections I-VI, A, B and D.

Section C is sold only in two-grave sites.



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