ST. BONIFACE (R.C.) PARISH GOODSOIL & DISTRICT CEMETERY POLICY (Revised January 1, 2021)
OWNERSHIP: The St. Boniface Church and Cemetery are church owned, with the Certificate of Title in the name of “La Corporation Episcopale, Catholique Romaine De Prince Albert”. The ultimate authority and responsibility rests with the Bishop of the Prince Albert Diocese, in Saskatchewan. The Parish, through the Cemetery Committee, has the right to determine and change the policy, and to judge whether a particular grave is in conformity with the policy.
LOCAL AUTHORITY and RESPONSIBILITY: The cemetery committee has the authority and responsibility over operations of the cemetery in accordance with Cemetery Policy 5.2.7 and approved bylaws. The committee is comprised of members of the parish, as well as our resident Pastor, our Deacon, Parish Secretary and PC Chair who may serve as ex-officio members. Those members of the cemetery committee who are also members of Parish Council have the responsibility to inform Parish Council about cemetery matters.
CEMETERY COMMITTEE: Briefly, the cemetery committee facilitates the day-to-day operations of the cemetery. Responsibilities include: marking cemetery plots for immediate and future use; supervising and assisting contractors who excavate graves, and install headstones; dealing with the grieved family members and Funeral Homes at the gravesite prior to, and after interment (burial, either body or cremains); maintaining required records and publicizing a Register of Interments and Interment Rights. Additional cemetery committee duties include: supervising, arranging and assisting with summer grass cutting, herbicide and pesticide use; working on sunken graves; erecting necessary fencing and winter snow removal. The cemetery committee meets as often as deemed necessary, with a min. of 4 meetings per year.
WHO CAN USE THE CEMETERY? Although the St. Boniface Cemetery is a Catholic Cemetery, it is open to all. This does not mean that everyone will be given a religious service by the church.
FINANCIAL POLICY: The St. Boniface Cemetery operates on its own funds which are kept separate from the Parish. The goal is to raise enough funds through donations and interment right sales to ensure that funds be available for the on-going maintenance of the cemetery even after families and volunteers are no longer available. Looking to the future, and in keeping with provincial requirements, a Cemetery Care & Maintenance Fund has been established. A portion (15%) of the sales price of interment rights and an amount, based on the size of any memorial/headstone, must be added to the principal of the Care & Maintenance Fund. The interest from this Cemetery Fund will help maintain the cemetery in the foreseeable future.
(1932) ORIGINAL(OLD) & 2012 EXPANSION CEMETERY(NEW)
INTERMENTS (full casket or cremains in urn): Policy allows the following maximum per plot: one (1) body (casket) interment plus two (2) cremains interments OR maximum two (2) cremains interments.
The name plates of those buried (body or cremated) will be placed or named on the same marker or headstone. The cost of each interment, whether residents or non-resident, full casket burials, cremains burials, or cremains burials on an existing plot will be at a flat rate of $500 each.
The new cemetery has a section of cremation plots (Block 20) that are 7' wide x 6' deep. Policy allows two (2) cremains burials per cremation plot.
The old cemetery will continue to be used for full casket and cremains burials, whereas the new cemetery will have an additional FAMILY PLOT FEATURE. (see next page).
COST FOR INTERMENT RIGHTS, CHURCH USE, GRAVEDIGGING, FAMILY PLOTS:
Cost for each interment right (applies to residents, non-residents, full casket burials, and applies whether cremains burials are on a new or an existing plot)
$500
Family Plots (minimum of four lots) For each lot an interment fee of $500 applies, as well as a $100 reservation fee
$2,400
Cost for Grave Digging: Family pays charge directly to Contractor, Village or R.M.
Cost for digging cremains cavity when dug by cemetery personnel (When cavity is dug by others – ensure it is 2 feet deep
Summer $75, Winter $150
Note: Payments for interment rights are made to cemetery secretary, cheques payable to St. Boniface Parish,
Box 10, Goodsoil, Sask. S0M 1A0.
Note: The Parish may charge a fee for the use of the Church in the event of a funeral service in the Church.
RESPONSIBILITIES OF PURCHASERS OF INTERMENT RIGHTS: The operation of our cemetery relies on the support of volunteers and the cooperation of all families who purchase interment rights in the cemetery. Along with payment of interment rights, the purchaser should complete an Interment Rights Agreement which documents the intentions of purchasers, (e.g. the preferred location of plot in the old or new cemetery). When Family Plots are purchased the purchaser should work with the cemetery committee chair to determine the plot location and complete the Interment Rights Agreement. Within 60 days of interment rights being paid in full, the purchaser will receive a document showing: the name of the buyer; the location of the plot if reserved, cremains interments purchased, and any other relevant information. The purchaser will also be provided with a General Responsibilities of Purchasers of Interment Rights document. LOCATION OF PLOT: Buyers of interment rights are free to specify old or new cemetery, but because of periodic high-water tables in the old cemetery, interments in the new cemetery are recommended. The specific location of the plot will be decided by the cemetery committee and cemetery plan. Specific plots can only be reserved in the Family Plot location in new cemetery, or in the case of Spousal Plots.
FAMILY PLOTS: Family Plots are available in Blocks 25 and 26 and can be reserved in groupings of 4 or 6 lots. The reservation fee is calculated at a rate of $100 per lot, and an interment fee of $500 must be purchased for each lot. An additional internment right of $500 is necessary for each additional burial on a reserved plot (in addition to the initial 4 or 6 lots purchased).
PREPAID/” reserved” SPOUSAL PLOTS: Only the spouse of the person interred is allowed to “reserve” a plot beside that person. To “reserve” a spousal plot, notify the cemetery committee chair soon after the funeral. If nothing is said within a month after a funeral, we will assume there is no wish to “reserve” a plot. To “reserve” a spousal cemetery plot, payment in full ($500.) must be made.
PREPAYMENT OF INTERMENT RIGHTS: Interment rights can be prepaid by making payment in full ($500.). By completing an Interment Rights Agreement, purchasers may specify whether the old or new cemetery is preferred and may indicate whether they wish to be interred on an existing grave. The location of the plot will be determined upon death and will follow the cemetery plan and honour the intentions of the purchaser to the extent possible.
CARE OF GRAVES: Families are encouraged to take care of the graves of their deceased loved ones. To ensure that the entire Cemetery is neat and clean, every grave and grave marker is to be set up so that it can be maintained by cutting the grass with a mower, without the use of a grass whip or hoe or hand weeding. This means that as soon as possible after the burial. the mound be removed and the grave covered with black soil and seeded to grass. This should be done within 6 months. More soil and seed can be added later. The parish will try to maintain the cemetery as a lawn, and we ask you to make this as easy and economical for us as possible. The Parish reserves the right to make the final decision as to what is adequate maintenance of a grave. If inadequate, the Parish reserves the right to complete the necessary maintenance and collect from family members.
PLANTING OF TREES AND SHRUBS is prohibited, and such plantings will be removed.
UNAPPROVED CONSTRUCTION PROHIBITED: Other than the installation of monuments, markers on an occupied plot (see next section) nothing can be installed in the cemetery (this includes the walking path). In unusual circumstances the committee may approve of the installation of a specific item to recognize loved ones. Requests should be directed to the Chair of the cemetery committee, and any installation will be done working with a committee representative. The committee reserves the right to remove any item which has been installed without approval.
MONUMENTS, HEADSTONES AND MARKERS: Monuments, Headstones and Markers must be permanent. That is, they should be made so that the monument itself and the writing on it will last at least 50 years. Wooden crosses/wooden monuments are no longer allowed. Stone and iron markers with engraved lettering are acceptable. No grave covers are allowed, although some exceptions might be made for graves in the old section of the cemetery. There is no restriction as to the size of the monument, however we request that the marker or monument should be placed on a concrete footing. The top of this footing should be at ground level and it should be at least 4 inches larger on all 4 sides than the marker or monument. Grave Markers shall be placed at the head of the grave on the approved base in a straight continuous row. This applies to all cremations as well. This is so that the grass can be cut around the marker with a grass mower, without the use of a grass whip.
All Monuments/Headstones must fit within the plot.
To comply with Provincial Regulations, the cemetery committee must ensure that a set fee is deposited into the Care & Maintenance Fund based on the size of each monument. Current regulations require the following deposits to the Fund: $75 for installation of a flat marker of more than 438 sq cm (68 sq. inches); $150 for the installation of an upright monument of up to 1.22 m (4ft) height; and $300 for installation of an upright monument of more than 1.22 m (4 ft) height. To ensure the cemetery committee’s compliance with these requirements, when a monument, headstone or marker is installed in the cemetery the family should advise the Cemetery Secretary of the monument size.
CONCERNING EXISTING GRAVES: Families and next of kin of those already interred in our cemetery are asked to try their best to make old graves conform to these policies. The goal is that all grave markers have concrete footings as described above, and anything that makes grass cutting difficult be removed. Some markers may need to be raised, lowered, or levelled, or the ground around the marker may need to be groomed so that an ordinary 20” lawn mower can cut around them.
GRAVE DIGGING PROCEDURE: Please get in touch with one of the following people to determine the location of the grave and make arrangements for grave digging. The family is responsible for the cost of grave digging, with payment to be made to the contractor.
Rudy Weber @ 238-4603 / 238-7721, Leo Hetlinger @ 238-4528 / 238-7789
* Only the Village of Goodsoil, the R.M. of Beaver River #622 or local authorized contractors may dig graves.
NOTE: Since 2005, a ‘Fibreglass Vault’ cover will replace the previously used ‘Rough Box’.
ROUTINE REGULATIONS:
(a) The Parish is not responsible for any damage to monuments or cremains plaques during the digging and
closing of new graves, or during maintenance and grass-cutting on the cemetery grounds. Backhoes are not
allowed in the old section of the cemetery.
(b) Prior to body or cremains burials, any type of construction or monument placement, a member of the
cemetery committee must be notified (and be present). Any unapproved activity, maintenance or
construction may be removed without notice.
(c) Floral arrangements for loved ones recently interred, may be left for a reasonable grieving time, but not
indefinitely. For older burials, floral arrangements may be placed on a grave a week before a holiday or
anniversary, but should be removed after two weeks. After such time, they may be removed and discarded.
The cemetery will not be liable for floral pieces, baskets, broken vases, etc.
(d) Chemicals which will sterilize the ground and kill grass are not allowed.
(e) When there is uncertainty regarding the application of the policy, the pastor together with the cemetery committee chair will make a ruling.
(f) This policy is subject to change at any time.
If you have any questions about this policy, please call the Pastor of St. Boniface Parish at 238-2006, Cemetery Committee Chair Rudy Weber (238-4603 / 238-7721) or Laura Kennedy, cemetery secretary (381-4097), or email to lauramaekennedy@gmail.com.
LK/lk
(Revised & approved by the Committee December 2020, with an effective date of January 1/ 2021)