ARCHDIOCESE OF LIVERPOOL  -  ST. MARY’S, EUXTON

GUIDANCE NOTES RE THE BURIAL OF CREMATED REMAINS IN ST. MARY’S CEMETERY

St Mary’s Cemetery comprises burial grounds for bodily remains (the Graveyard) and for cremated remains (the Columbarium) - the Graveyard being a lawned cemetery and the Columbarium a paved area.

A Grave Deed will be issued to the Registered Owner of the Right of Burial in a particular plot (whether in the Graveyard or the Columbarium). This Grave Deed must be produced for all subsequent interments in the Plot. In order that the cemetery records are kept up to date, any change in the details of the Registered Owner must be notified to the Parish Priest.

The Columbarium is the preferred location for the burial of cremated remains. Cremated remains may only be interred in the Graveyard in existing Graveyard plots - new Graveyard plots will not be allocated for the interment of cremated remains.

Within the Columbarium the only memorial stone permitted is a flat stone, which may be placed on the top of the individual Columbarium plot stone and must be the same dimensions as the individual Columbarium plot stone (450mm x 450mm). This size is very important so that the access to one Columbarium plot is not affected by an overlapping memorial stone from the next plot.

There is a practical limitation of 2 separate interments in an individual Columbarium plot, but it is important to remember the relatively small plot size when choosing a casket for the cremated remains. If you wish to be able to make 2 interments in one plot then it is your responsibility to ensure that the 2 caskets chosen can fit side-by-side in a 450mm x 450mm space.

It is a legal requirement that the Certificate of Cremation must be presented before any burial of cremated remains can take place – in very exceptional circumstances, and at the sole discretion of the Parish Priest, if it is not possible to provide this Certificate prior to burial, a Declaration Form (see below) must be completed and signed by the person requesting the burial so that checks can be made with the Crematorium where the cremation took place to confirm that a Certificate was issued and to properly identify the cremated remains. The Certificate of Cremation must be subsequently provided (re-issued by the Crematorium if necessary).

The Grave Deed must be produced before an interment in an existing Grave Plot may take place – if the Grave Deed has been lost then the person requesting the Burial will need to complete a Form of Indemnity to establish their “Right to Burial” and to indemnify the Parish from any claims, costs or other liability that may arise from the burial of cremated remains.