FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

MAY NON-CATHOLIC MEMBERS OF FAMILIES BE BURIED IN ST. JOSEPH CEMETERY?

      Yes.  While St. Joseph Cemetery exists to serve the needs of the Catholic families of the community of Evansville, we think it is important to maintain family unity.  To this end, family members who may not be Catholic (e.g. spouse, children, in-laws, brothers or sisters or other family members can be buried in St. Joseph Cemetery.

DOES THE CATHOLIC CHURCH ALLOW PEOPLE TO BE CREMATED?

      Yes.  While the custom in the past, at least in our area, has been for people to buried in a mausoleum crypt or in ground burial plot, the Catholic Church does allow people to be cremated and to have the cremains placed in a niche in a mausoleum or in an in-ground plot.

WILL ST. JOSEPH CEMETERY BURY PEOPLE WHO DO NOT HAVE THE FINANCIAL MEANS TO PAY FOR A GRAVE?

     Yes. St. Joseph Cemetery has never refused to bury a person because of a lack of financial resources.  One of the Corporal Works of Mercy is to bury the dead.  For the reason it has been a long standing policy to provide a burial place for members of the community who do not have the resources to purchase a grave space.

IS THERE ROOM FOR ME TO BURIED AT ST. JOSEPH CEMETERY?

     Yes.  Although our cemetery is the final resting place for over 38,000 people, a conservative estimate gives St. Joseph Cemetery enough room for in-ground burial plots for the next 200 years.  Our current mausoleum master plan will allow for more than 10,000 crypt spaces. 

ARE THERE SPECIAL "CATHOLIC SECTIONS" IN OTHER CEMETERIES?

    No.  Although there are Catholics buried in most of the cemeteries in our area, our local Catholic community has not designated a special area in any of these cemeteries for Catholics to be buried.  

MAY CATHOLICS WHO ARE NOT MEMBERS OF ONE OF THE CATHOLIC PARISHES IN THE EVANSVILLE ARE BE BURIED AT ST. JOSEPH CEMETERY?  

    Catholics from any parish in the Diocese of Evansville are allowed to be buried in our cemetery.  Most of the outlying parishes have their own parish cemetery.  This is the preferred choice by most members of these parishes.  However, some families from these parishes prefer to be buried in our mausoleum or one of the large family plots in our cemetery.  St. Joseph Cemetery is always ready to provide this option for you.  

CAN I INTEREST YOU IN BUYING A PLACE FOR YOU TO BE BURIED?  

iI there ever was a conversation stopper this would probably be it.  After all, who want to talk about dying and being buried?  If you are like most people you probably would like to avoid the issue entirely or only talk about it when absolutely necessary.  Because death is not something we like to deal with, most of us are caught off guard when issues like buying burial plots come it.  It's likely that there are onlly a few times when we have to deal directly with this.  The first is when someone in our family dies.  The second more likely time is when we get a solicitation [phone call asking if we are interested in buying a burial plot.  We are not at our best in either of these situations and because of this we don't really know what are good questions to ask.  Because death is not something we like to deal with, When you are faced with the task of purchasing any burial plots, crypts or niches, it is important  that you know the right questions to ask.  Be sure to shop around and compare.  And we encourage you to come and talk with us.  We are confident that we can provide the lowest prices and the best service in the area.  Here are some questions to consider.  

WHAT ABOUT COSTS?

     Our financial resources are an important consideration in buying grave lots and monument .  You can spend many thousands of dollars buying a burial plot and monument.  Often times, especially at the death of a loved one, the feelings of grief and love can lead us to spend money that we really don't have.  Spending lots of money does not indicate that we love a person more any more than does spending less money indicate that we love a person less.  It's easy to be enticed  by an offer of  "buy one grave spot and we'll give you the second one free."  It's good to ask just what is included in this free offer.  Are there extra costs for opening and closing the grave?  Is there a cost for using the facilities at the cemetery?  Is there a cost for pouring the foundation for the monument?  Are there extra charges for putting any plaques on the monument?

    Will there be any additional charges when the actual burial takes place?  Most payment plans cover all the costs for the grave and related burial expenses, but it is always good to make sure this is the case.  Most cemeteries will allow for installment payments over a specific period of time.  If you choose this option, you want to check out if there are any interest or finance charges for doing this.  At. St. Joe Cemetery, we give people the option to spread the payment for the cost of burial plots over time with no interest rates or finance charges.   In some cemeteries, the cost for the same kind of burial plot will vary depending upon its location in the cemetery.  It's always good to ask if there are different prices for different sections of the cemetery.  At. St. Joe Cemetery all single and double burial plots are the same throughout the cemetery.  Three, four and six graves lots are also available in selected areas.  Larger lots can be created at a cost per square foot.  

       Some cemeteries, especially small rural parish cemeteries, have a special collection each year for cemetery upkeep.  Other cemeteries may require a specific amount of money to be paid at the time you purchase a grave.  This cost is often in addition to the price for the graved itself.  At.St. Joseph Cemetery, the cost for the perpetual care of your burial plot is included in the cost of the grave itself. A portion of the cost of the grave is set aside in a special fund to ensure that your grave plot will be taken care of long after you have departed.