The Canon law of the Church states that the Catholic cemetery is a sacred place. The Catholic Church provides Catholic cemeteries to carry out the sacred religious functions of burial and to care for the resting places of the faithful departed.

The burial of the dead has always been recognized by the Church as a religious rite and a corporal work of mercy.

Many people are involved in this ministry: priests, deacons, religious, musicians, cemetery staff, funeral directors, funeral home staff, and parish members who assist the family, lead bereavement support groups, and support the faithful in praying for the dead.

The corporal works of mercy consist especially in feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned and burying the dead.(Catechism of the Catholic Church #2447)

Access to Holy Sepulchre

Visitors are advised that the Blackmarsh Rd entrance to Holy Sepulchre cemetery is closed to traffic. Visitors to the cemetery must enter and exit via the two entrances off Topsail Road. 

For public safety reasons, snow clearing in the older cemeteries, is only done as required for funerals. In Holy Sepulchre, snow clearing of the main road is done regularly, but the secondary roads are only cleared as required for funerals.

Cemetery Maintenance

As debris removal is a major part of the work in maintaining the cemeteries, families are asked to make an extra effort to remove debris from their plots. This will be a significant help in the cleaning efforts.

Families are reminded to remove all special ornaments from their plots in the fall
to avoid damage over the winter. To avoid loosing ornaments or flowers in the
annual spring clean up, families are advised to wait till Mother’s Day before putting
flowers or ornaments back on their plots.

Despite regular cemetery maintenance personal safety hazards may exist. Visitors enter the cemeteries at their own risk and should exercise caution at all times. Out of respect and for safety reasons visitors should not walk on the burial plots or lean against the monuments. The Archdiocese is not responsible for any personal injury, damage to flowers, ornaments or monuments.

Other

Private vehicles are not permitted in the cemeteries on the day of the annual liturgy service.

Fees for burial plots, opening/closing of plots and monument permits are reviewed regularly by the Archdiocese Cemetery Committee.