Albany Diocesan Cemeteries
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“Unless a grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit” John 12:24
General Information
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the page.Cemetery Offices
Holidays
Prices
Memorials
Who owns the lot?
Funeral Arrangements
Rules and Regulations
Genealogy Research Assistance
FAQ
Glossary
Albany & Rensselaer Counties St. Agnes Cemetery
St. Mary's Cemetery, Troy
Calvary Cemetery
St. Patrick's Cemetery,
St. Agnes Cemetery, Cohoes
Our Lady Help of Christians Cemetery
St. John's Cemetery
St. Jean's Cemetery
Immaculate Conception Cemetery
Our Lady of Angels CemeteryMailing Address:
48 Cemetery Ave.
Menands, NY 12204-2498
(518) 463-0134
Fax: (518) 427-8035Meg Mihalko, Family Service Manager
Luke McGarry, Cemetery Manager
Jeanne Qualters, Director of Family Services
Timothy Putorti, Director of Operations
Schenectady County Most Holy Redeemer Cemetery
Sts. Cyril and Method Cemetery
St. Anthony's Cemetery
Holy Cross Cemetery
St. Mary's CemeteryMailing Address:
2501 Troy Road
Niskayuna, NY 12309-1407
(518) 374-5319
Fax: 374-1820Elaine Nicsevic-Fernandez, Cemetery Manager
Duane Wagenbaugh, Cemetery Manager
Albany Diocesan Cemetery Office Rick Touchette, Director Mailing Address:
48 Cemetery Avenue
Menands, NY 12204
(518) 432-4953
Fax: 427-8035
Holidays 2012
On the following Holidays, the Cemetery Offices
will be closed.
Staff Training Day
Wednesday, March 14 (close at noon)
Good Friday
Friday, April 6 (close at noon)
Memorial Day
Monday, May 28
Independence Day
Wednesday, July 4
Labor Day
Monday, September 3
Staff Training Day
Wednesday, October 17 (close at noon)
Day before Thanksgiving
Wednesday, November 21 (close at noon)
Thanksgiving Day
Thursday, November 22
Christmas Eve
Monday, December 24 (close at noon)
Christmas Day Tuesday, December 25 New Year's Eve
Monday, December 31 (close at noon)
Interment* Adult Interment $700.00 Infant $ 60.00 Tent $ 75.00 Entombment* Community Mausoleum $650.00 Private Mausoleum $550.00 Cremated Remains* Interment $310.00 Entombment in niche $310.00 Entombment in crypt $575.00 Second Use Fee1 $150.00 Social Services Department Interments* Albany County $335.00 Rensselaer County $335.00 Schenectady County $335.00 Grave Spaces $750 to $1,200 Cremated Remains Graves from $250 (where available) Double Depth Lawn Crypts $2,500 (where available) Mausoleum Crypts Single crypts $3,500 to $8,250 Companion crypts $6,000 to $17,325 Niches $650 to $3,500 Bronze Memorials2 $900 to $3,225 Marker Installation Granite Marker Individual $160 Companion $320 Bronze Marker Individual $220 Companion $330 Families may use credit cards for the purchase of grave or crypt space, services or memorials. Infant graves and interments are available at no charge in special sections at Most Holy Redeemer, St. Mary’s, Troy and St. Agnes, Menands.
*Surcharge for Interments Requiring Work After Normal Business Hours: $100 per each 30 minutes or part thereof.
1 Please refer to Funeral Arrangements
2 Prices for memorials purchased from the cemetery include foundation and installation.
Prices effective January 1, 2012 and are subject to change.
Memorials
Memorials for installation in the Albany Diocesan Cemeteries may be purchased at the cemetery office.The Cemetery reserves the right at all times to prescribe the kind, design, size, symbolism, crafting, quality and material of all memorials or inscriptions placed in a cemetery. All owners or anyone duly authorized to act for and in behalf of an owner, before ordering any memorials or inscriptions, must secure from the Cemetery written approval of the design, size and lettering style.
Application for the installation of a memorial and the approval thereof by the Cemetery shall be made in writing on the Cemetery’s Memorial Installation Application form and signed by the owner with owner’s address and cemetery location. The design of each memorial must be approved in advance by the Cemetery. Payment must accompany any such order. Any non-religious design depicted on a memorial must be subordinate in size and presentation to the religious design. The cemetery will not allow any design deemed offensive.
Lots, crypts or niches must be paid for in full before memorial work is installed.
All memorials must be set on uniform lines as prescribed by the Cemetery.
Should any memorial become unsightly, dilapidated, illegible or a menace to visitors, or not in compliance with these rules and regulations, the Cemetery shall have the right either to correct the condition or to remove the same at the expense of the owners.
Each section of each cemetery may have specific rules and regulations, or program provisions, unique to that section or mausoleum. Please refer to the Cemetery Office for the applicable specifications.
Installation of Veteran markers must conform to cemetery regulations, specifications, and with current VA regulations. VA form 40-1330 should be accompanied by a Memorial Installation Application and payment of the installation fee.
The possession of a Certificate of Exclusive Interment Rights or Deed by anyone other than the original purchaser does not guarantee ownership of or the right to use graves. Upon the death of the purchaser, the ownership of the lot is governed by Section 8 of the Religious Corporations Law:
“Lots in such cemeteries shall be held indivisible, and upon the decease of a proprietor of such lot the title thereto shall descend to his heirs-at-law or devisees, subject, however, to the following limitations and conditions: If he leaves a widow and children, they shall have in common the possession, care and control of such lot during her life. If he leaves a widow and no children, she shall have the possession, care, and control of such lot during her life. If he leaves children and no widow, they or the survivor of them, shall in common have the possession, care and control of such lot during the life of the survivor of them. The parties having such possession, care and control of such lot during the term thereof may erect a monument and make other permanent improvements thereon. The widow shall have the right of interment, for her own body in such lot, or in a tomb in such lot and a right to have her body remain permanently interred or entombed therein, except that her body may be removed therefrom to some other family lot or tomb with the consent of her heirs. At any time when more than one person is entitled to the possession, care or control of such lot, the persons so entitled thereto shall designate in writing to the religious corporation which of their number shall represent the lot, and on their failure to designate, the board of trustees or directors of the corporation shall enter of record which of said parties shall represent the lot, while such failure continues. The widow may at any time release her right in such lot, but no conveyance or devise by any other person shall deprive her of such right.”
The following forms may be used to authorize burials or designate the family representative.
Funeral Arrangements
Each interment requires the authorization of the lot owner or the person authorized by law. A notarized form may be required prior to scheduling an interment. AFFIDAVIT & AUTHORIZATION TO INTER FORM
Interment orders must be accepted by the Cemetery at least 8 working hours prior to the scheduled interment. The following information is required before an interment order will be accepted by the cemetery: Name and age of deceased, specific interment space to be used, name of the funeral director, date of interment and time of arrival at the Cemetery, name, address and telephone of the next of kin, and proper authorization.
Interments in our cemeteries that require our employees to complete the interment after working hours are subject to a surcharge because the cemetery incurs additional expenses for overtime work. The surcharge applies for every 30 minutes or part thereof, such as after 4:00 PM weekdays or after 12 Noon on Saturdays until all work related to the interment is completed. Families arranging services should note that generally, one to one and one half hours are required to complete an interment after the conclusion of the committal service.
An approved outer container is required for all interments except infants. Cemetery staff will not install vaults.
Ordinarily, only one casket or urn may be placed in any one grave or crypt. Under limited circumstances, exceptions are permitted and an urn may be placed in the same grave as a casket.1 A second use fee is charged in addition to the interment fee. Under no circumstances will more than one urn be interred with an existing burial. Scattering cremated remains is not the reverent disposition required by the Church and is prohibited on cemetery ground.
A permanent name plate is required to be attached to each casket brought into the Cemetery.
All interments, entombments, or inurnments will be performed in private by employees or agents of the Cemetery. Duly licensed funeral directors, undertakers or registered residents must produce their current certificate of registration upon request.
Lots not under Perpetual Care or the Operation and Upkeep Fund are subject to the collection of a deposit to the Operation and Upkeep Fund before an interment is made. The assessment must be paid in full before the last interment in a lot.
To eliminate misunderstandings, the family of the deceased is required to personally visit the cemetery for all at-need selections.
Complete current rules and regulations are on file in each cemetery office. Please refer to the Cemetery Office for clarification of Rules and Regulations, policies, or for further information concerning cemetery matters. Persons other than Cemetery officials are not authorized to conduct business for the Cemetery.
State Law requires a court order for disinterment or removal. Please contact us for assistance.
Rules and Regulations play an important part in the beautification and preservation of the sacred resting place of the faithful departed. They are intended not as restraining, but rather as defining an orderly plan of operation, care and permanent maintenance.
Every Certificate of Exclusive Interment Rights issued for an interment space purchased from the Albany Diocesan Cemeteries contains a provision that the grantee takes title subject to the Rules and Regulations then in force and which may be enacted in the future. No rule or regulation will be adopted which is not designed to benefit lot owners collectively.
A complete copy of current Rules and Regulations is available for inspection at the Cemetery Office. This is a summary only. Please refer to the Cemetery Office for clarification of these Rules and Regulations or for further information concerning cemetery.
- All Cemetery business must be transacted at the office. Persons other than Cemetery officials are not authorized to conduct business for the Cemetery.
- Office hours are from 8:30am until 4:00pm weekdays, Saturdays by appointment. Closed Sundays.
- The Cemeteries are open daily. Visiting hours are during daylight hours unless otherwise posted.
Interment Spaces
1. Interment spaces can be purchased only with the written approval of the Cemetery and subject to the Rules and Regulations now or hereafter adopted by the Cemetery.
2. Interment spaces are intended for the use of Catholics and their families.
3. Any interment space must be paid for before use.
4. The family of the deceased must personally visit the Cemetery for at-need interment space selections.
5. Pre-need interment spaces may be purchased with a minimum down payment of 10% with the balance financed for up to 60 months.
6. The lot owner is the person or persons: (a) to whom the Albany Diocesan Cemeteries has conveyed the exclusive right of interment; or (b) who have acquired such right by transfer in accordance with the rules and regulations; or (c) who hold such right by inheritance.
7. A Certificate may be issued to an individual, or to husband and wife as joint tenants with right of survivorship.
8. Owners are not allowed to sell their interment rights, in whole or in part, except to the Cemetery, and then only under limited circumstances. No permitted transfer or assignment of any interment space, or interest therein shall be valid until accepted in writing by the Cemetery.
9. Income from the Operation and Upkeep Fund or the Perpetual Care Fund may be used for the general maintenance of the Cemetery grounds, roads and buildings. Such income may not be used for special care of graves, memorials or other private property.
10. Lots not under Perpetual Care or the Operation and Upkeep Fund are subject to the collection of a deposit to the Operation and Upkeep Fund before an interment is made. This assessment must be paid in full before the last interment in a lot.
Interments
1. No interment shall take place without the authorization of the lot owner or the person authorized by law.
2. An Authorization to Inter form may be required prior to the interment.
3. An order for interment must be accepted by the Cemetery at least 8 working hours prior to the scheduled interment.
4. Interments that require cemetery employees to complete the interment after working hours are subject to a surcharge.
5. An approved outer container is required, except for infants.
6. All interments, entombments or inurnments will be performed in private by employees or agents of the Cemetery.
7. Ordinarily, only one casket or urn may be placed in any one grave or crypt.
8. An infant may be buried in the same grave as a parent, grandparent or sibling in a burial case less than 24” long and 12” high.
9. Scattering cremated remains within the Cemetery is prohibited.
Decoration Regulations
1. Most Holy Redeemer Cemetery and certain sections of St. Agnes and St. Mary's Troy Cemeteries allow only freshcut flowers in approved cemetery vases except during the Christmas season. Christmas decorations will be removed and discarded beginning January 15.
2. General Regulations: Approved Decorations for St. Agnes Cemetery, St. Agnes-Cohoes Cemetery, St. Anthony's Cemetery, Sts. Cyril and Method Cemetery, Holy Cross Cemetery, St. Jean de Baptiste Cemetery, St. John's Cemetery, St. Mary's Cemetery, Troy, St,. Mary's Cemetery, Schenectady, Our Lady Help of Christians Cemetery, St. Patrick's Cemetery, Immaculate Conception Cemetery, Our Lady of Angels Cemetery and Calvary Cemetery as follows:
Monument Lots
A. A maximum of 2 bouquets of flowers in approved vases may be placed on any lot. Fresh cut flowers are encouraged.
B. One artificial floral piece attached to a freestanding wire easel 30"-36" may be placed on a lot from May 1 to one week after Father's Day.
C. Potted plants are allowed on a monument base, but not in or on the ground, from May 1 to one week after Father's Day.
D. One standard floral saddle may be placed on a monument.
E. Two non-ferrous, composite vases, MetalcraftTM or equivalent, of an appropriate size, may be placed on a monument base in a non-permanent manner. Approved method of installation is either strap between die and base or two-sided tape.
F. An American flag may be placed on a grave for Memorial Day. Flags will be removed shortly after Memorial Day.
G. Christmas floral pieces on a wire easel 30"-36" high, Christmas decorations in an approved vase, and evergreen blankets may be placed on graves from November 15 to January 15.
Shrine Graves
A. A maximum of two bouquets of flowers in approved vases may be placed on a grave. Fresh cut flowers are encouraged.
B. An American flag may be placed on a grave for Memorial Day. Flags will be removed shortly after Memorial.
C. Christmas floral pieces on a wire easel 30"-36" high, Christmas decorations in approved vase, and evergreen blankets may be placed on graves from November 15 to January 15.
Mausoleums
A. Fresh cut flowers in an approved vase (green cone-shaped, either tin or plastic) placed at edge of sidewalk.
B. Granite urns at St. Anthony's Cemetery may be filled with artificial or fresh cut flowers.
3. Any article placed in the cemetery in violation of these rules and regulations will be removed and discarded without notice. Common violations include, but are not limited to: urns and flowerboxes, cornerposts. Wooden or plastic crosses, plantings of any kind, statues, figurines, fraternal symbols, flags and flagholders, trellises, shepherd hooks, and glass.4. Please return bronze vases in the flush inverted position when not in use. For safety concerns, bronze vases should be in the flush inverted position from November 1 until March 21.
General Cleanup
1. A general cleanup will be conducted in the Cemetery twice a year, beginning on or about April 1 and November 1. Christmas decorations will be removed beginning January 15, weather permitting. All decorations will be removed and discarded during the general cleanups. The lot owner is responsible for removing decorations that they wish to save prior to these dates.
Community Mausoleums
1. Mausoleum Chapels are open daily.
2. Program provisions for each mausoleum are available from the Cemetery office.
3. Specifications for crypt and niche inscription and memorialization have been adopted for each mausoleum. Please refer to the Cemetery Office for applicable specifications. Inscriptions shall be installed by employees or agents of the Cemetery.
Private Mausoleums
1. Private mausoleums are allowed only in designated areas. No ground burials are permitted on mausoleum lots.
2. Private mausoleums must be approved in advance and constructed in accordance with cemetery specifications.
3. A deposit to the Operation and Upkeep Fund equal to 20% of the mausoleum construction cost is required.
Memorials
1. The Cemetery reserves the right at all times to prescribe the kind, design, size, symbolism, crafting, quality and materials of all memorials or inscriptions placed in a cemetery. Anyone ordering any memorial or inscription must secure from the Cemetery written approval. Location of memorials must be approved by the Cemetery.
2. Each section of each cemetery may have specific rules and regulations, or program provisions, unique to that section or mausoleum. Please refer to the Cemetery Office for the applicable specifications.
3. Application for the installation of a memorial and the approval thereof by the Cemetery shall be made in writing on the Cemetery’s forms and signed by the owner. Payment must accompany any such order.
4. Any non-religious design depicted on a memorial must be subordinate in size and presentation to a religious design.
5. Lots, crypts or niches must be paid for in full before memorial work is installed.
6. Pre-need markers may not be installed.
7. Portraits or any other material may not be attached to a memorial. Lithochrome or paints are prohibited.
8. No memorials of wood or composition are allowed, including temporary markers or emblems of organizations.
9. Only one marker is permitted on each grave and must be set flush with the turf.
10. Installation of veteran markers must conform to current cemetery and VA regulations. All VA marker applications must be authorized by the Cemetery.
11. Only bronze markers are permitted in shrine sections and require a concrete base.
12. Memorials remain the private property of the lot owner. The Cemetery is not liable for maintenance and repair of private property.
These Rules and Regulations were adopted by resolution of The Trustees of St. Agnes Cemetery, The Trustees of St. Mary’s Cemetery of Troy, Inc. and the Trustees of Most Holy Redeemer Cemetery and adopted by Rev. Robert Buckley, Director of Cemeteries, for all other cemeteries managed by the Diocesan Cemetery Office on May 9, 1996.
Download and complete this form for Genealogy Assistance. Send it, along with your payment to: Albany Diocesan Cemeteries 48 Cemetery Ave. Menands, NY 12204
Requests for information on those buried in Albany Diocesan Cemeteries may also be made in writing or in person to the appropriate cemetery office. The information requested may be researched at the time of the request by the office staff or researched as time permits by the office staff and returned by mail.
Also available by appointment is private research with a staff member @ $30.00 per hour. Original cemetery records may be accessed by Cemetery staff only. Family members are always welcome to inquire about the burial locations of their loved ones. Maps of those locations will be provided at no charge.
Revised 7/2009
FAQ
Who can be buried in a Catholic Cemetery?Catholic Cemeteries are intended for the use of Catholics and their families. The purchaser must be Catholic. However, the purchaser may authorize the burial of a non-Catholic relative or friend in the lot.
How many burials may be placed in one grave?
With the exception of lawn crypts, ordinarily only one casket or urn may be placed in any one grave or crypt. Under limited circumstances, an urn may be placed in the same grave as a casket. Additional fees may apply.
Who controls a cemetery lot after the death of the original lot purchaser?
Possession of a Certificate of Exclusive Interment Rights does not guarantee ownership of a cemetery lot, nor does it guarantee the right to use graves in that lot. Ownership of a cemetery lot in a religious cemetery is governed by Section 8 of the Religious Corporation Law of New York. Section 8 states that cemetery lots shall be held indivisible and that upon the death of a lot purchaser, the title to a cemetery lot passes according to the purchaser's will or, if there is no will, to the purchaser's heirs. However, there are certain exceptions to this general rule. If the original purchaser of a cemetery lot is survived by a spouse, s/he shall have the possession, care and control of such lot during the spouse's life. If the lot purchaser is survived by a spouse and children, they shall in common have the possession, care and control of such lot during the spouse's life. If the lot purchaser is survived by children and no spouse, they, or the
survivor of them, shall in common have the possession, care and control of such lot during the life of the survivor of them. A surviving spouse has burial rights in a cemetery lot that was purchased by his/her spouse. In situations where multiple people have the possession, care and control of a cemetery lot, families are allowed by law (and encouraged by Albany Diocesan Cemeteries) to designate, in writing, a representative to act on behalf of the family on matters pertaining to the lot. Forms for this designation are
available at the cemetery office.Can I return my graves or crypts for a refund if I change my mind?
Refunds are available only if you move more than 75 miles from the cemetery and there are no entombments, burials, or memorials.
Do I have to pay extra every year for the care of the graves?
No. A percentage of the purchase price of each lot or crypt sold is deposited into the Operation and Upkeep Fund. The interest earned by this fund is used for the continuing cost of general maintenance.
I lost my certificate, can I get another?
The cemetery does not issue duplicate copies of Certificates of Exclusive Interment Rights. The cemetery can provide a letter showing ownership of lots.
Who is entitled to a Veteran’s Marker?
On December 27, 2001, President Bush signed into law improved veteran’s benefits. Among other items, The Department of Veteran Affairs may now provide a Veteran’s marker even if the grave has already been memorialized by a privately purchased marker or headstone. This applies only to those deceased since December 27, 2001. The new benefit is a five-year pilot program that will be reviewed by February 2006 to determine how well the program has been received.
To the families of Albany Diocesan Cemeteries this means: The grave of any eligible veteran may be furnished either a bronze 24 inch by 12 inch flush marker, or a granite 24 inch by 12 inch flush marker, depending on the regulations of the cemetery section. Longstanding Diocesan Cemetery regulations prohibit more than one marker on any grave, except where an infant is buried in the same grave as the mother. The VA provides markers at no charge, and there is a cemetery fee for installation and care of the marker.
Please call the Cemetery Office for more information and current installation charges.
Cemetery care refers to the general maintenance of a cemetery and of the lots, graves, crypts, niches, repair and maintenance of roads, buildings, fences, and fixtures, overhead and maintenance of machinery and equipment, compensation of employees, and maintaining necessary records of ownership and burials. Care does not include maintenance, preservation, or repair of memorials, which remain the private property of the lot owner.
Certificate of Exclusive Interment Rights is the document by which the Cemetery conveys a right of interment, entombment or inurnment in an interment space.
Columbarium is an arrangement of niches for an inurnment of cremated remains.
Crypt refers to a space in a mausoleum intended for the entombment of casketed remains.
Grave is a designated space in a cemetery used for the burial of human remains.
A grave space will accommodate an outer container or vault with external dimensions not exceeding 36” wide by 96” long. A crypt will accommodate a casket with external dimensions (including handles) not exceeding 24” high by 30” wide by 85” long. A niche is 10 1/2” high by 10 1/2” wide by 9 1/2 inches deep.
Interment spaces can be purchased only with the written approval of the Cemetery and subject to the Rules and Regulations of the Cemetery now or hereafter adopted by the Cemetery. Interment spaces are intended for the use of Catholics and their families.
Inurnment is the placement of cremated remains in a grave, crypt, or niche.
Lot is one or more adjoining graves purchased by an owner.
Marker is a memorial that is installed flush with the lawn.
Memorial refers to a monument or grave marker identifying a grave or lot or the inscription identifying a crypt or niche.
Monument is any memorial that extends above ground level.
Monument Section is a subdivision of a cemetery in which a monument is allowed to mark a lot.
Owner is the person or persons: (a) to whom the Albany Diocesan Cemeteries has conveyed the exclusive right of interment; or (b) who have acquired such right by transfer in accordance with the rules and regulations; or (c) who hold such right by inheritance.
Shrine Section is a subdivision of a cemetery in which the marking of each interment space is restricted to a flat bronze memorial set flush with the turf.
Urn is a container for cremated remains.
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Copyright 2010, by Albany Diocesan Cemeteries
Albany Diocesan Cemeteries
48 Cemetery Ave., Menands, NY 12204
Phone: 518-432-4953
Fax: 518-427-8035
info@rcdacemeteries.org
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