Catholic Cemeteries are holy places. These sacred places are blessed by the Church and dedicated as a place of prayer and dignity for our faithful departed. Please maintain a quiet reverence for other people visiting the sites of their loved ones. To ensure that everyone has a safe, peaceful place to visit, please:
- Watch your children at all times. Children may not run and play games.
- Pets must be leashed. All pet waste must be picked up.
- Firearms are never allowed.
- Parties, picnics and loud music are never allowed.
- Alcohol is never allowed.
- Grills (gas or charcoal) are never allowed.
- Pop-up tents, canopies and staked umbrellas (non-handheld) are never allowed as they impede on the gravesites of others.
Ground Burials
Flowers are allowed in cemetery regulation vases only. Floral arrangements and decorations not in DOPCCFH-approved vases will be removed and discarded.
Prohibited at All Times
- The digging of holes, etching, or mowing of designs, borders, etc. for any purpose whatsoever is strictly prohibited.
- Artificial borders on or around the grave space are not permitted, including granite chips, marble chips, gravel, stone, cement and trenching.
- No planting of flowers, bushes, shrubs or trees will be permitted.
- Memorialization of any kind may not be installed without written consent from DOPCCFH.
The following items, along with others, are never allowed in the cemetery: Glass, balloons, pinwheels, candles, metal cans or decorations, chimes, wooden or metal crosses, toys, statues, pictures, cards, personal items, beverage containers, fences, loose objects, incense sticks, solar lights, vigil lights, boxes, cans, shells, lawn ornaments, signs, non-approved vases, concrete urns, potted plants and food. Decorations on surrounding trees and shrubs are not permitted.
Management will remove and discard any items immediately if they are not in compliance with our rules and may pose a potential danger to the maintenance crews and visitors.
Placement of decorations holiday flowers for special days (Valentine's Day, Easter, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Memorial Day, and All Souls Day) may be placed in the vase seven days before those days and are deemed removable seven days after. The only exception to the special holiday rule is Christmas when decorations and flowers are permitted immediately after Thanksgiving with regularly scheduled removal commencing in January.
Christmas decorations may only be placed in the in approved cemetery vases. Christmas wreaths may be placed on gravesites if they are no more than 24 inches in diameter and are on an easel. Christmas trees must fit in a cemetery approved vase and measure no more than 24 inches in height and may not encroach on another gravesite or grave marker. Garlands and blankets are not permitted.
Mausoleums
Fresh flowers are not permitted in the enclosed mausoleum areas. All flowers on crypts or niches must be placed in Catholic Cemeteries & Funeral Homes-approved vase units.
Floral arrangements that encroach on other crypt or niche fronts are not permitted. Decorations, cards, pictures, stickers, tape or other material may not be affixed to the crypt or niche front. Catholic Cemeteries & Funeral Homes may, without notice to the owner, remove and dispose of any decoration from a crypt or niche.
Artificial flowers, and special arrangements in crypt and niche vases are permitted in the indoor section of the mausoleum seven days before these holidays only: Valentine's Day, Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Memorial Day, and All Soul's Day. For Christmas, flowers and decorations are allowed immediately following Thanksgiving. Holiday Flowers and special arrangements will be removed within 7 days after the holiday, with the exception of Christmas flowers, which will be removed by the second week in January.
Clean-Up Policies
Removal of all floral arrangements, including those that are in the prescribed vase units, decorations, plants and shrubs, will take place at certain specified times during the year for the purpose of a complete maintenance cleanup of the cemetery. The dates for the general cemetery clean up are located on website at http://www.dopccfh.org/events and posted at cemetery locations.
DOPCCFH shall not be responsible for or liable for decorations not removed by the burial right owner or a visitor after the removal date occurs. All flowers and decorations must allow trimming around the gravesite, access for maintenance or for nearby burials.
DOPCCFH will remove flowers and decorations not conforming with these rules and regulations as necessary at any time.
Cemetery-Specific Flower Clean-Up Dates
Flower removal at St. Francis, Queen of Heaven, Holy Redeemer,Holy Cross Catholic, All Souls and Calvary Catholic Cemeteries is quarterly. Cleanup is scheduled for the second week in January, seven days after Easter, the second week of July, and the first week of October. Dates may be subject to change due to holidays. Please refer to our Events page for more details.
