St. Mary’s Cemetery Association
Policy and Procedure
&
Planting and Grave Regulations
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St. Mary’s Cemetery Association
Policy and Procedure
1. As an organization of St. Katharine Drexel, St. Mary’s Cemetery Association will
be comprised of all those who have purchased lots or have loved ones buried
there.
2. Only persons who are entitled to Christian burial are to be buried in St. Mary’s
Cemetery.
3. As with all parish organizations, the Association is advisory in nature to the Pastor
in the working operation of the Cemetery.
4. No activities should happen in the Cemetery without the Pastor and the Presidents
prior knowledge and/ or approval.
5. Election of Officers will be held every two years. Officers will consist of President,
Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer.
Duties:
President – Chair all meetings.
Vice President – Chair all meetings in president’s absence; assume
position of president if president unable to complete term.
Secretary – Take minutes of meetings, publish yearly.
Treasurer – In charge of all monies collected; issue yearly financial
statement to membership in general meeting and to parish in
bulletin. St. Katharine Drexel Parish handles all monies for St. Mary’s
Cemetery Association, so the treasurer works with the parish
bookkeeper.
As of January 27, 2012 the officers are as follows:
President - Ellen Shelburne
Vice President and Secretary – Hedwig Konieczny
Treasurer – Ivan Botello
6. Executive committee will meet in closed meetings quarterly. There will be an
annual open meeting in March on the second Tuesday.
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7. Registered families, immediate family members of St. Katharine Drexel parish are
entitled to designate and reserve a gravesite in the amount of $400.00 per grave.
8. In the event of a demise of a nonparishioner, the cost per grave will be $600.00.
9. Payment plans for cemetery lots.
1 lot = $100.00 per month.
2 lots = $200.00 per month.
3 lots = $300.00 per month.
All payments should be made within 30 days of the due date. If the lot(s) are
not paid in a timely manner, after one letter of notification, the lots will return
to the Association for re-sale. All payment plans should be made directly with
the Association Treasurer and the parish bookkeeper.
A Baby Section is provided free of charge.
10. Urns may be placed by owners into their plots with the burial assistance of a
designated funeral home. The Pastor and President must be notified prior to
inurnment.
11. No interment or inurnment may occur, and no memorial may be placed until the
grave is paid in full.
12. Per Archdiocesan guidelines, all monies derived from the sale, upkeep and
donations to St. Mary’s Cemetery will be deposited in the name of St. Mary’s
Cemetery in a net asset account to be maintained by the parish bookkeeper of St.
Katharine Drexel Parish.
13. A Certificate of Interment will be issued when lots are sold. Said certificate will be
dated and signed by the designated officer and/or pastor and sealed with the
corporate seal of the parish. At the time that the certificate is issued, a copy of St.
Mary’s Cemetery Planting and Grave Regulations, as well as the Policy and
Procedures will be given to the owner(s).
14. The cemetery association, or a representative appointed by the association, should
check cemetery record books every year and a written report given to the
association. Said reports should become part of the official records of St. Mary’s
Cemetery Association. Within the first month of each year a complete printed
report of the past years activities must be made to the parish of St. Katharine
Drexel in the parish bulletin.
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15. The removal of dirt from the gravesite will be the total responsibility of the
funeral director. Said director will include the removal charge in his service billing.
16. Only designated funeral homes are allowed to dig plots for burial.
17. Any previous verbal arrangements that are not recorded as of January 27, 2012,
are hereby declared to be null and void.
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St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery
Planting and Grave Regulations
I.
Potted Plants, Wreaths, and other Decorations
a. Potted plants, cut flowers, and artificial arrangements are permitted any
time provided they are in appropriate, self-supporting containers or vases
that can be readily removed. Subsurface vases that can be inverted in the
ground and mowed over when not in use are recommended.
b. Wreaths and other decorations may be put out two weeks before and two
weeks after for these special days; Christmas, Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s
Day, Veteran’s Day, (Flags placed on graves of Veterans will be permitted
to remain one week preceding and one week following Memorial Day and
Veteran’s Day), and Birthdays.
c. The lot owner should pick up artificial flowers placed for the specified
special days within two weeks; otherwise the association will have them
removed.
d. Glass or breakable containers on graves are not permitted and will be
removed by the association. Also, use of pins or making holes in the
ground to hold the containers or vases in place are not permitted. Wire
pins and glass are hazards in mowing.
e. St. Mary’s Cemetery Association has the authority to remove any items that
are contrary to the regulations or which, in its judgment, have deteriorated
and no longer contribute to the beauty and dignity of our cemetery. St.
Mary’s Cemetery Association is not responsible for items so removed.
f. One week after the internment, no more than three containers of flowers
may be placed on the grave.
g. Individual lot owners are prohibited from planting any plants on graves.
II.
Removal of Flowers
Flowers and wreaths will be removed from the graves when, in the
judgment of the association, they become unsightly. Members of the family
desiring to retrieve flowers or wreaths from the grave must remove them
within two weeks after internment.
III.
Graves
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a. Monuments: no handmade monuments will be allowed in the cemetery as
of November 7, 1998. The President or the pastor must approve all
monuments and borders. If any are placed in the cemetery after
November 19, 1998, the association retains the right to remove them and
notify relatives of said action.
b. Prices are as follows; $400.00 for parishioners and $600.00 for
nonparishioners.
IV.
Waste Disposal
All debris, rubbish and waste must be taken off premises by individual
families.
V.
Violations
The Association may remove any planting, grave decorations, structure, or
object placed on a grave contrary to these rules and regulations
VI.
No Liability
The Cemetery Association shall not be liable for lost, misplaced or broken
flowers, ornaments, vases or containers.
VII.
Cement Curb
Due to the high cost and difficulty in maintenance cement curbs placed
around grave cites will not longer be permitted (8/86). Flat curbs that can
be mowed over or corner stones may be used to mark off lots.
VIII.
Enforcement
All rules and regulations of St. Mary’s Cemetery are to be enforced by the
Pastor, President and/or any person designated by the association to have
such authority.
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IX.
Reserved Rights
St. Mary’s Cemetery Association reserves the right from time to time to
enlarge, replace or change the boundaries of grading of the cemetery or
any section thereof, including the right to modify or change the location of,
remove or re-grade roads, drives and/or walks or any part thereof, and to
lay, maintain, operate, alter or change pipelines, sprinkler systems and
drainage systems. The Cemetery Association reserves the right to use and
place trees, shrubs, features, monuments and works of art on portions of
the cemetery not sold to individual lot owners. St. Mary’s Cemetery
Association reserves unto itself a perpetual right on ingress and egress over
graves, grave spaces and lots for purpose of maintenance and for any and
all lawful purposes.
X.
Amendments
St. Mary’s Cemetery Association may amend, alter, repeal, or adopt new
rules and regulations for St. Mary’s Cemetery at any time at any regular or
special meeting of such Association.
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St. Mary Cemetery
A Short History
St. Mary Cemetery is located in Waller County, approximately three miles south
of Hempstead, TX on Highway 159.
The property for this cemetery is described in the deed as: “All that tract or parcel
of land situated in Waller County, Texas, out of the William Whiteside Survey and being
the portion of the tract conveyed to the Most Reverend C.E. Byrne, Bishop of Galveston,
by Francis Mills and Wife, by deed dated November 4, 1944, and recorded in Vol. 97,
Pg. 554, Waller County Deed Records.
This cemetery was purchased in the name of the Most Reverend C.E. Byrne,
Bishop of Galveston, by a group of families of St. Mary’s Church. The following people
working together, raised the required money to purchase the land and fence it: Mike
Brzymialkiewicz, Pat DiIorio, J.M. Dunman, Frank Dorsch, Rolin Dreanan, Stash
Januhoski, Michael Jozwiak, John Kasparak, John Laskoski, Wallace Levandowski, Frank
Malinowski, Steven Mazurkiewicz, Steve Mikolajewski, Joe Ognoskie, Joseph Sebesta,
Karol Sebesta, Rudolph Sebesta, Albert Stegint, Charlie Tomchak, Pete Tomchak, Frank
Tomchak, Joe Tomchak, John Tomchak, Stella Tomchak, Ben Worchesik, Bruno
Malinowski, Roman Kopech.
St. Mary Cemetery was under the supervision of the pastor of Mary, Mother of
God Church, now merged into the new entity of St. Katharine Drexel Parish, Hempstead.
Past parochial cemetery committee members have been Louise DiIorio, Joe Duschinski,
Edward Granowski, William Longa, Pete Martucci, Tony Newcomb and Jack Rafferty.
The cemetery committee established general policy for the use of the cemetery and
oversaw its general care and upkeep.
Under the direction of the cemetery committee and with the help of Mr. Robert
McWilliams and Mr. Jack Rafferty the cemetery was mapped for sections and plots. This
work made it possible for families to purchase burial space according to their needs and
also afford some family choice as to the location of their burial plots. Plans are in process
to professionally survey, plot and stake remaining sections of the cemetery.
On Wednesday, August 27, 1986, the Cemetery Association of St. Mary’s was
revived after several years of inactivity. A meeting was held at 7:00 p.m. in the parish
hall. Updated guidelines and cemetery policies were presented and approved. Rev. Ed
Kucera, pastor, appointed Cathy Longa as president and Gertrude Brzymialkiewicz,
Treasurer of the Association because of their interest and activity in reviving the
Association. Those present elected Frances Sebesta and Hedwig Konieczny to the offices
of Vice President and Secretary. The second annual cemetery association of St. Mary’s
Meeting was held on March 1, 1987, at 3:00 p.m. in the parish hall.
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On August 26, 1986, the Cemetery Association opened checking and savings
accounts at Citizens State Bank. All monies from the sale of plots and maintenance fees
are to be deposited into these accounts with the purpose of maintaining and beautifying
the cemetery property and establishing a burse, the interest generated by the burse being
used for future cemetery improvements and upkeep.
Mary, Mother of God Cemetery Association met on November 7, 1998 at 7:00
p.m. in the hall with the following in attendance; Fr. Ed Kucera, Ellen C. Shelburne,
Raymond and Hedwig Konieczny, Joe and Sophie Granowski, Gertrude Brzymialkiewicz,
Frank Contreras and Elena Trevino.
Fr. Kucera called the meeting to order with an opening prayer. The association
voted to amend the existing plat to add section A South as well as voting to make all
future sales of plots in consecutive order starting with Section I North. It was further
decided that from the above date forward, no hand made monuments would be
allowed in the cemetery. The President, Ellen C. Shelburne or Fr. Ed must approve all
monuments and borders. If any are placed in the cemetery after November 19, 1998, the
association retains the right to remove them and notify relatives of said action.
The prices for all plots were set for $200.00 for parishioners and $400.00 for
non-parishioners.
On July 1, 1999, the Most Reverend Joseph A. Fiorenza, Bishop of the Diocese of
Galveston-Houston, assigned Reverend James M. Burkart as administrator of Mary,
Mother of God Parish, approximately one year later Rev. Burkart was made pastor.
In December of 1999 the Cemetery Association met in the parish hall. It was
decided that the rates of the cemetery plots would increase from $200.00 for
parishioners to $400.00 and from $400.00 from non-parishioners to $600.00.
It was further decided that Mr. Caesar Zepeda would look into the possibilities of
constructing a road on the cemetery property.
On July 1, 2001, the Most Reverend Joseph A. Fiorenza erected St. Katharine
Drexel Parish thereby merging the former parishes of Mary, Mother of God in
Hempstead and St. Martin de Porres in Prairie View. These two former parishes were
dissolved. On August 15, 2001 the church of St. Martin de Porres in Prairie View was
officially closed and the property closed to a local Baptist community. The parish was
then temporarily located on the property in Hempstead until a new parish facility can be
constructed on 25 acres purchased by the Diocese of Galveston-Houston 0.5 miles south
of Highway 290 on FM 1488.
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