Why Choose a Catholic Cemetery

“Rejoice and be glad; for great is your reward in heaven.”

Matthew 5:11-12

Our Catholic Cemeteries

Holy Places Dedicated to God and Consecrated by the Church for the Burial of the Faithful

St. Charles / Resurrection Cemeteries

Farmingdale, NY

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Holy Cross Cemetery

Brooklyn, NY

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Next to the Church, the tabernacle of the living God, is The Catholic Cemetery, the earthly home of the departed, a sacred place often referred to as “God’s Acre”.

A Catholic Cemetery believes in and is firmly committed to the rich tradition of the Church with regard to the deceased and the sacredness of the holy ground in which its faithful rest.

A Catholic Cemetery is, in a sense, an extension of the liturgy of the Church, and walking into a Catholic Cemetery is like entering a place where all the symbols and signs of Christian teaching about life and death are in abundance.

A Catholic Cemetery encourages prayer and visitation and is an outward sign to all that here is a religious place, unique and cared for, and especially set aside for those who recognize they will have eternal life.

One of the most beautiful truths of our Catholic faith is that life does not end at death. As the words of the preface of the Mass of Christian Burial state – “For those who have been faithful, O Lord, life is not ended, but merely changed.”

Here our relatives and friends are asleep awaiting the resurrection to life everlasting in union with God. Because of the reverence of the Cemetery and the blessed memories it invokes, we bestow upon it the care of love and see that the final resting place of our loved ones reflect an enduring remembrance for them.

Through the ages the Catholic Church has taught that the burial of the dead is one of the Corporal Works of Mercy. Catholics believe that those who have been purified at the same baptism and who live together in the profession of the same faith, should be laid to rest in the same spiritual place set aside for the interment of the faithful. Here their relatives and friends come to pray and find peace and serenity in this reverent setting.

At our Catholic Cemeteries, there are many key elements in our special work and obligation to care for families’ loved ones. Our cemeteries provide religious themes, a sensitivity to people’s needs in an emotional period surrounding a death in the family and assistance in guiding people toward Christian memorialization.

While we live our lives to the fullest and enjoy all of God’s gifts here on earth, we know that there is an even greater life that awaits us all in the eternity of God’s love.

Catholic burial has a deep significance for us, because it marks the realization of all our spiritual hopes for our loved ones and ourselves. We are taught that death is not the end, but a rite of passage to eternal life.

Our shrines, our statues, even our inscriptions help the living to better understand death and especially the promise of the resurrection. We, the living, will continue to find in our cemeteries the consolation of faith.

We are proud of our cemeteries. We are proud of the tradition that Catholics are buried together because we pay homage together in life. We want the cemeteries to continue to be holy places where religious ceremonies are held to pray in a special way for all those buried in its sacred ground.

We all know that we are going to pass from this life and we do not like to think about it. We must continue to lead the finest life we can because life is a preparation for death. Our cemeteries can do a great deal to help us along the way.

We will strive to do all we can to make Catholic Cemeteries as inspiring as possible so that when you visit, you will be reminded of what death is really about – a preparation for a better life.

Catholic Cemeteries gives hope to us all that we shall be reunited with Christ and those we love in the resurrection of the last day.

Why Catholic Cemeteries are Unique

Catholic Cemeteries play an integral part in ministering to our faithful. We know the importance of choosing a Catholic Cemetery, believing that there is a significant difference between a Catholic Cemetery and a secular one. While some non-sectarian cemeteries may even have a “Catholic section”, they are simply not the same. A Catholic Cemetery is a sacred place, one especially set aside for those who recognize that they will have eternal life. Here is a sign to all that this is a religious place, dedicated to the care of the faithful who have passed and the sacred grounds in which they rest.

Daily Mass intentions are offered for all those resting in our Catholic Cemeteries, and special commemorative Field Masses are held each Memorial Day and All Souls Day. Chaplains are available for all committal services and, in the event of inclement weather, committal services can be conducted in the consoling atmosphere of one of our beautiful, religiously-appointed Interment Chapels.

Our Catholic Cemeteries provide a wide range of options allowing for a lasting memorial tribute to a loved one. In addition to gravesites, options include single and family crypts in our beautiful community mausoleums. For those who have chosen cremation, both cremation niches and burial sites are available. Endowed funds are always set aside from every sale to ensure that the grounds and community mausoleums are maintained with all the care and dignity that reflects our respect for the sacredness of the human body.

A Threefold Ritual

The Order of Christian Funerals prescribes three separate rites to celebrate the journey of the deceased from this life to the next. Rich in tradition, each stage of the three-part Liturgy is important, not only to commend our loved ones to God, but also to support us through faith and hope. The ideal sequence of these three rites is The Vigil, The Funeral Mass and The Rite of Committal.

The Vigil (wake) takes place between the time of death and the Funeral Mass. This Rite is presided over by a priest, deacon or prepared lay person. It is a time when family and friends gather to reflect upon that person’s life and to express their own feelings. The Vigil is usually held in the funeral home and this service consists of prayers and scripture readings. The Vigil is typically held before the funeral, and provides family members and friends an opportunity to gather in prayer and pay their last respects.

The Funeral Mass is the principal celebration of the funeral. Some of the symbols that are incorporated in the Mass include draping of a white pall over the casket signifying the person’s baptism, the Easter Candle at the foot of the casket or the cremation urn, and sprinkling of holy water on the casket or urn. The Funeral Mass allows family and friends to come together to pray and draw strength from our faith and one another.

The Rite of Committal is the last of the Funeral Rites. This Rite consists of a Scripture reading and short prayers led by a priest, deacon or prepared lay person. The Committal Service is celebrated near the final resting place of the deceased person such as a gravesite, mausoleum or cemetery chapel. The Rite of Committal reaffirms our belief in the resurrection and eternal life.