Rules and Regulations
St. Mary Parish Cemetery Rules and Regulations
The Catholic cemetery is a familiar place in which we visit the graves of our deceased loved ones to pray for their eternal rest and find in their burial places a sign of faith and hope.
Like a church, it is a religious place and should be considered a sacred spot.
Purpose
The following rules and regulations have been adopted as a guide to the use and management of the Cemetery. They are intended not as restraining, but rather as preventing the inconsiderate from taking unfair advantage of others. Their enforcement will help protect and preserve the beauty of St. Mary Parish Cemetery.
The cemeteries expressly reserve the right – at any time and without notice – to adopt new rules and regulations or to amend, modify, or repeal any section, paragraph, or sentence of these rules and regulations.
The Rules and Regulations shall be available on the parish website, and copies shall be made available to all new owners and to interested parties upon request.
All following rules are in place as of January 1, 2022. All rules must be followed by March 1, 2022.
Mausoleum and Niche
The Cemetery will provide all inscriptions, lettering or crypt plates on the crypt or niche fronts to ensure uniformity.
The Cemetery reserves the right to limit floral tributes. Only one floral tribute per crypt or niche is allowed to be placed on the benches or other holders where provided.
St. Mary Parish Cemetery sells medallions and framed pictures for the crypts and niches. Only medallions and framed pictures bought from St. Mary Parish Cemetery are allowed.
A bud vase can be bought to display flowers.
The Cemetery reserves the right to remove all flowers, wreaths or other decorations from the mausoleum as soon as they become unsightly.
No decorative objects or photos may be affixed to the crypt fronts by tape or other means as that destroys the surface.
No toys, glass containers, ceramic containers or like objects shall be permitted in the mausoleum. All such unauthorized items will be removed by the Cemetery without notice.
No wreaths allowed.
Decorating Gravesites
The Cemetery reserves the right to remove all flowers, wreaths or other decorations from lots as soon as they become unsightly.
Wreaths are allowed as winter decorations from Thanksgiving until the cleanup at the end of January.
Items not allowed to be placed on a lot within the Cemetery include, but are not limited to, the following: toys, mementos, figurines, lighting, border edging, fencing, benches, rocks, gravel, bricks, and mulch.
All shepherd hooks must be placed within four inches to the left or right side of the marker. The basket must hang over the marker and cannot exceed 30 inches in height.
No standing easels, except for Christmas wreaths, are allowed.
No decorations can infringe upon the adjacent grave space(s).
Flags will be provided by St. Mary Parish Cemetery and placed for veterans prior to Memorial Day and will be taken down after Veterans Day. If we miss someone, please let us know.
All other flags may be placed on graves on Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, Flag Day, and Veterans Day. Flags should be kept to 12” by 18” in size or smaller. Flags are subject to removal by Cemetery within ten (10) days of the Holiday.
No plants, including annual flowers, perennials, shrubs and trees can be planted in the ground.
Trees and shrubs are placed throughout the Cemetery by the Cemetery for overall beauty and serenity of the grounds. Individual graves are not permitted to have trees or shrubs. Any such tree or shrub not approved by the Cemetery may be removed without notice to the lot owner.
No digging or fertilization of the grave spaces.
Artificial flowers should be in good taste and of a construction which will not deteriorate in the elements.
Artificial flowers must be held within a single stem container. Flowers cannot be planted in the ground.
Fresh cut flowers should be removed by lot owners when they wilt and become unsightly. All funeral flowers left at the grave will be removed by cemetery staff after they deteriorate.
Fresh flower arrangements and artificial flowers must be put in durable containers. Glass, china, and all fragile vases are not permitted. St. Mary Parish Cemetery is not responsible for broken containers.
Styrofoam constructed decorations and vases are prohibited.
Glass is prohibited at all times.
Devotional lights of any type are prohibited in the Cemetery.
Grave blankets are prohibited.
All | Mausoleum and Grave
Flowers from a funeral will be left for one week., after one week they will be removed.
St. Mary Parish Cemetery is not responsible for the damage or theft of anything placed on the site.
All unauthorized decorations will be removed and discarded without notice. St. Mary Parish Cemetery is not responsible for these items.
St. Mary Parish Cemetery has the right to remove any plants planted in the ground or landscape decorations which do not conform to the cemetery rules and regulations.
St. Mary Parish Cemetery is NOT responsible for reimbursement for any plants or decorations removed by cemetery staff or damage by the maintenance crews.
Prohibitions
Due to maintenance challenges and appearance
- Fences, hedges, edging, curbing and other enclosures around or within graves are not permitted. They create a cluttered appearance and add to the cost of maintenance and labor.
- Planting of trees, shrubs, or plants (annuals or perennials) are not permitted.
- Cement, iron, wood, glass, plastic, and similar objects of a temporary nature including solar lights are prohibited because of their unsuitable appearance and susceptibility to damage. Objects in violation of the prohibitions shall be removed without notice or liability on the part of the cemetery association.
- All cans, bottles, beverages, glass, sharp objects, etc. of any kind are not allowed.
- No Pets Allowed