Margaree Family of Catholic Churches includes the following five cemeteries:

St. Joseph’s, South West M.: St. Joseph’s Cemetery and St. Mary’s/MacDougall Cemetery

St. Michael’s, East Margaree: St. Michael’s Cemetery and Pioneer Cemetery

St. Patrick’s, North East Margaree: St. Patrick’s Cemetery

Goal:  Honour the resting place of our deceased loved ones, while providing an attractive place that is well maintained based on the generosity of people’s donations.

The following policy is now in effect for our Margaree Family of Catholic Cemeteries:

Plots:

1. Plots are free for parishioners. 
2. The Corporal Works of Mercy of the Catholic Church call us to “bury the dead,” so we will never refuse anyone and always provide burial to anyone in need.  Since we operate on the donations of locals who have subsidized the cemetery throughout their lives, a $200 fee to the cemetery fund will be charged for someone formerly from the parish, but who has lived away for many years.  A $500 fee will be charged if they have no connection to the Margarees, thus have not contributed previously.  These fees are for perpetual care of the cemetery.
3. Families may dig their graves for their loved ones, or work with the local funeral homes to arrange for hired assistance.  Graves with the body are to be dug six feet deep and graves for cremated remains are to be dug 24 inches deep.
4. Check with your local cemetery representative to see if reservation of plots for spouses or family members is possible. 

Cremated Remains:

5. Cremated remains (cremains) may be buried with another body in the same plot and up to three different persons’ cremated remains may be in the same plot.
6. Cremains must be in a dignified container such as an urn.  All the cremated remains of the person must be together. 

Cremated remains should never be separated, divided, or made into jewellery, dishes or anything like this.  Scattering remains on the sea, in the air, on the ground and keeping them in homes of relatives does not display appropriate reverence for our belief that we will rise again.  “The Church does not offer a prayer service when those kinds of disposal have been chosen and liturgical rites should not accompany any method of disposal of the ashes which is not in harmony with this Christian tradition” (Diocese of Antigonish).

Flowers and Lights: 

7. Flowers and lights may be placed on top of the base, or top of the headstone, or in the designated holder (please request).  If you want to place flowers at your loved one’s grave in a freely provided flower holder, please notify your local cemetery rep and the appropriate holder can be set up beside the headstone.                                           
8. Wreaths and other flowers may be left at the end of the lawn maintenance season, but remember in the spring it is time to remove them, so lawn maintenance can begin in all our cemeteries.  Any obstructions during the mowing season will be removed.

Prayer:

9. The best way to honour our loved ones is by praying for them, thus offering the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.  Mass cards are available at the parish office on Thursdays.
10. The Spiritual Works of Mercy of the Catholic Church call us to pray for the dead, so each summer there will be a rotating cemetery mass to pray for all the deceased in the Margarees.

Maintenance:

11. Cemeteries will be mowed near the end of each week, so they look good for weekend liturgies.  We will pay an hourly fee for maintenance.
12. We want, what you want = for the cemeteries to look good, so please help us with the upkeep by not placing fences, rocks or other things that could interfere with our lawn mowing.  If flowers are not in the holder or on the headstone they will be removed. 
13. We will host an annual cemetery clean up day in our five cemeteries.

Cemetery reps for the three churches in alphabetical order:

St. Joseph’s:    Marie MacNeil  =  248-2881

St. Michael’s: Ernie Leblanc  =  235-2179     or     Freddie Burns 235-2061

St. Patrick’s:    Gerard Miller  =  248-2960

Ratified by the Margaree Family of Catholic Churches Cemetery Committee – May 29^th, 2012

Vision: The Lord asks us to bury the dead, thus we seek to honour the sacred humanity of those who have died in our community.

Purpose:  A team of committed volunteers gather twice a year to organize the needs of our five cemeteries.  Lawns, top soil, hiring, equipment and parish records are all discussed.  Once a year a cemetery clean up day is also held.