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.

Decorations

1. No planting is allowed.

2. A maximum of 2 bouquets of flowers in approved vases may be placed on any lot. Fresh cut is encouraged.

3. An artificial floral piece maybe on a lot in the monument area from May 1 to one week after Father’s Day.

4. Potted plants are only allowed on the base of monuments from May 1 to one week after Father’s Day, but not in or on the ground.

5. Most Holy Redeemer Cemetery allows fresh cut flowers only.

6. Christmas wreaths, vases and evergreen blankets may be placed on graves beginning November 15. All Christmas decorations will be removed and discarded by the Cemetery beginning January 15, weather permitting.

7. Urns and flower boxes are not allowed.

8. Cornerposts, fencing of any kind, hedges, curbing, vigil lights, plastic ornaments, statues, toys, glass or other breakable materials, crushed stone, marble or wooden chips, shells, etc. are prohibited.

9. In accordance with the Flag Code of the United States, graves may be decorated during the 24 hour period immediately preceding Memorial Day with a small United States flag. Flags will be removed after Memorial Day. Flags are not permitted on graves at any other time, and no flag other than the United States flag is permitted.

10. Any object placed on an interment space is placed there at the lot holder’s risk. Any article placed in violation of the Cemetery rules and regulations will be removed and discarded without notice.

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.

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 the lot after the death of the original purchaser?

Possession of the Certificate of Exclusive Interment Rights (deed) other than by the original purchaser does not guarantee ownership of or the right to use graves. Ownership of the lot is governed by Section 8 of the Religious Corporation Law of the State of New York, which states that lots shall be held indivisible. Generally, the surviving spouse and children of the lot owner, in common, control the lot. Upon the death of the last child, the grandchildren, in common, control the lot. Families should 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.