Rules and Regulations Governing the Decoration of In‑ground Graves in the Catholic Cemetery

A Catholic cemetery is a sacred place. This Catholic Cemetery is owned and operated by the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend and must be maintained in honor and dignity. To preserve the integrity of the Cemetery, to protect the sacredness of its grounds and buildings, as well as the obligation to care for these grounds and those buried therein, to promote order and safety, to reduce the burden of maintenance, and to keep our Cemetery beautiful, we respectfully request your cooperation in following these Rules and Regulations, which apply for the mutual protection and benefit of all lot holders.

The Superintendent is authorized to make, without notice, temporary additional rules which may be needed, from time to time, to meet emergencies which are not covered by these Rules and Regulations. Furthermore, the Catholic Cemetery Association, Inc. (the Cemetery Association) reserves the right, without notice, to make, amend, alter, suspend, or repeal any part or all of these Rules and Regulations, all without liability whatsoever on the part of or to said Cemetery Association, the Catholic Cemetery, or the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend.

The Cemetery Association reserves the right to remove and discard at any time, without notice to the lot holder or to anyone, any and all decorations or objects which violate these Rules and Regulations as well as those decorations or objects it deems unsightly, offensive to nearby lot holders, or not in keeping with the spirit of these Rules and Regulations. The Cemetery Association assumes no liability whatsoever to lot holders or others for its acts of removal and discarding as stated herein nor will it accept liability for damage done to decorations due to vandalism, theft, wind, vehicles, animals, chemicals used in weed and pest control, landscaping design, snow or leaf removal, or machinery making interments or mowing. Failure of the Cemetery Association to enforce any provision(s) of these Rules and Regulations does not bar it from enforcing such provision(s) at a later date.

Decorating a grave is a privilege not a right. These Rules and Regulations safeguard both the Lot Holder and the Cemetery. In many cases, they directly reflect on the health and safety of patrons and workers. There are valid reasons for all these Rules and Regulations. We ask your cooperation in following them.

Except in Sections F, H (Block I), and J, the ONLY ALLOWABLE DECORATIONS are natural or silk flowers or plants placed in a cement/concrete No. 1 Cemetery Urn (a sample can be seen in the Catholic Cemetery Office), which MUST be placed on a 8" - 12" square concrete pad, no more than 2 inches thick, in the memorial row of a grave next to the end of the memorial. The maximum height for arrangement is 22 inches. Flower SADDLES are allowed ONLY on monuments. One saddle per monument is allowed and no other decoration(s) relating to those grave(s) will be allowed if a saddle is used. STATUES are allowed, except as indicated below, and must be on a base as that described, above. In addition, such statue must not exceed 33 inches in height, nor be wider than a line which creates a diameter of 15 inches, nor weigh more than 20 pounds. A statue may ONLY be placed next to the end of a marker or monument. ALL statues MUST be of a religious nature. However, NO STATUES are allowed in Sections F, G, H, I, J, L (Garden Crypts area), N, Q, R, T, U, V, W, and the Blocks in Sections A, B, C, and D. The pads/bases must not be glued to the urn/vase or statue. Due to their hazardous nature, O.S.H.A. regulations, and our insurance rules, NO glass or porcelain, NO votive lights, and NO wires (or wire/plastic hoops), nor anything similar, are allowed anywhere in the Catholic Cemetery. ALL decoration containers and statues MUST be movable and MUST be of good quality cement/concrete material.

NO digging or spiking of a decoration into the turf or ground is permitted anywhere in the Catholic Cemetery. However, a WREATH, which MUST be placed on a wire easel, (maximum height for arrangement is 36 inches), may decorate a grave from November 20 to February 20 ONLY.

No grave blankets are allowed.

An American FLAG may decorate a Veteran's grave ONLY for the two days prior to, on, and the two days following Memorial Day, July 4th, and Veterans' Day.

NO OTHER CONTAINER AND NO OTHER TYPES OF DECORATIONS ARE ALLOWED. ONLY ONE DECORATION PER USED GRAVE SPACE IS ALLOWED. Only an item defined as a decoration will be allowed to decorate a grave space. Such decoration must reasonably decorate the grave space it purports to decorate. A decoration may only be placed next to the end side of a marker or monument or, if neither is present, the marker end/row of a grave. No vase/urn or statue may be attached to or installed on the granite. PLEASE, use only environmentally safe decorations and do not put rocks or stones, marbles, or the like, in the container as they are a dangerous safety hazard. Any container, vase, urn, or base, which is not used within a six (6)-month period, WILL be removed and discarded. NO BUSHES of any kind are allowed.

Special Rules for Sections F (Garden of the Cross), H (Block I), and J:

Decorating Rules and Regulations in these sections restrict you to flowers or plants in one invertible-style in ground metal vase per used grave space. All such vases must be Cemetery approved, be set only by Cemetery personnel, and be placed ONLY next to the end of the monument or marker except in Section H (Block I) where the vase(s) must be placed behind the marker. No vase may be attached to or installed on the granite. However, one flower SADDLE per monument is allowed but no other decoration(s) will be allowed if a saddle is used. All other decorations WILL be removed. All flowers or plants will be removed when they become wilted or faded and the vase will be inverted. NO STATUES ARE ALLOWED. However, a wreath on a wire easel is allowed during the time periods stated above for a wreath.

Special Rules for Section N

Because the Cemetery Association has done special landscaping, NO decorations of any kind (including statues and wreaths) are allowed in this Section of the Catholic Cemetery.

Decorations not specifically permitted are not allowed and will be removed and discarded at any time without notice or liability.

For your convenience, you may purchase acceptable decorations and supplies for your loved ones from floral suppliers located in Fort Wayne. You can obtain information about this from the Catholic Cemetery Office.

Annual Cemetery Cleanup

March 15-31 is used to clean up the grounds and prepare the Catholic Cemetery for Spring. Except for urns and vases, which will be inverted, and statues in those sections where allowed, all decorations will be removed and disposed of at this time. If you wish to save your decoration, please remove it before March 15 or call the Catholic Cemetery Office and ask us to hold it for you, which we will do for a period of thirty (30) days, after which the decoration(s) will be discarded if not picked up during that period. Please do not place any decorations during this cleanup period as they will be removed and discarded.

Many people visit the Catholic Cemetery each year. Because the Cemetery is open to the public, it is very difficult to control the activity of every visitor. We regret that we cannot guarantee decorations will be free from damage or disappearance and we caution you against leaving anything of great value on any grave in the Cemetery.

These rules and regulations are strictly enforced and supersede all others previously issued.

We wish to thank you for your understanding and cooperation in adhering to these Rules and Regulations.