CEMETERY RULES AND REGULATIONS
ST. MICHAEL AND ST. STANISLAUS CEMETERIES
BERLIN WI

OWNERSHIP:
 

1. Grave ownership remains with the Cemetery Association, which has its own Board of Directors, separate from Parish Corporation or Officers. When payment is made for a grave(s), the purchase gives the purchaser the franchise to bury on that land but not the right of ownership (see Costs #2 below).
 

2. Members of the Cemetery Association and those reasonably entitled thereto shall have perpetual right over said lot or grave to pass to and from other lots or graves to which no other means of access is available. This is for purposes of opening and closing a grave.

TRANSFER OF TITLE TO GRAVE (S):

1. When a lot or number of graves are purchased, only the members of the immediate family, that is, sons and daughters, have a right to be buried there. Spouses of the owner’s children (daughters/sons-in-law) and the
owner’s grandchildren may be buried on said lot or grave only after a RELEASE FORM has been signed by ALL the living members of the family who have the IMMEDIATE right to be buried on the lot. This can be accomplished only through the pastor of the parish and the certificate of ownership must be presented at the time the request is made.
 

2. Titles will be transferred through Release Forms only to spouses of the owner’s children or grandchildren.  A fee of $25.00 will be charged for that transaction. Beyond that, the graves are to be sold back to the Cemetery Association at the original purchase price.

COSTS:
 

1. Permit fees: $15.00 per grave. The monument company pays for this permission to cover administration expenses.

2. When a grave easement is purchased, the name of the person to be buried must be given at that time otherwise the grave cannot be sold. The Cemetery Association will record the name. (NOTE: at all times no one “owns” a grave. A person merely purchases an easement, which means they are entitled to the right to be buried in the grave that has been clearly designated by them & the Cemetery Association).
 

3. The purchase price of one grave is $400.00. Graves are sold only individually and no longer by lots. The cost is subject to annual review by the Cemetery Association. Forty percent (40%) of the cost of the grave is designated for perpetual care.
 

4. The cost to open and close a grave is $625.00. The cost of inurnment or entombment* of cremains is $300.00 per person. This includes adult, child, and infant. The cost is subject to review by the Association.
 

5. Burials can take place at the cemeteries in the winter months. However the cost to open and close a grave during the winter is $875.00; the cost of inurnment during the winter is $425.00. The time period for the charging of a winter burial is December 1st through April 1st. Families of the deceased may also choose burial after the winter months. In these cases, bodies of the deceased will rest in Griffith Memorial Chapel in Oakwood Cemetery, and arrangements are made through the local Funeral Director. Cost for the storage
of a casket at Oakwood Cemetery is $75.00, and the cost for storage of an urn at Oakwood Cemetery is $35.00. This is subject to change by their Cemetery Board.

* entombment - the placing of the urn in a monument or memorial above the ground.

FOUNDATIONS AND MARKERS:
 

1. No person shall be allowed to place a foundation for a monument without seeking permission. Permission will be issued only through the Parish Office. Permission will not be issued for a grave marker/monument
until it has been verified that the grave is paid for in full.
 

2. Foundations

i) Single Grave Space; Single Headstone: The foundation cannot exceed 5 feet and must have
a minimum of 10 inches on either end and a minimum of 6 inches on front and back of a single
headstone on a single grave.
ii) Single Grave Space; Double Headstone: The foundation cannot exceed 5 feet and must have
a minimum of 10 inches on either end and a minimum of 6 inches on front and back of a double
headstone on a single grave.
iii) Double Grave Space; Double Headstone: The foundation cannot exceed 10 feet and must have a minimum of 10 inches on either end and a minimum of 6 inches on front and back of a double headstone on a double grave.
 

3. The monument shall cover only the spaces of the graves purchased, and must not extend beyond the width of the graves or lot in question.
 

4. All markers and monuments must be in line with other markers and monuments. The second marker on a gravesite must be surface mounted (flush with the ground). The foundation of a surface mounted marker must have a 6 inch border.
 

5. A permanent marker should be erected within a period of 1 year from date of burial by a reputable monument company at which time all temporary markers will be removed.
 

6. The monument company must contact the parish office or sexton to set an appointment for laying of the foundation.
 

7. If a monument becomes unsafe or needs repair, an attempt will be made by letter to contact the owner of the lot or his or her heirs.

PLANTINGS AND DECORATIONS:
 

1. FORBIDDEN: trees, shrubs, flowers on the grave.
 

2. Permission from the Cemetery Association is required if anyone wishes to plant any shrubbery or trees in the Cemeteries of St. Michael and St. Stanislaus.
 

3. Any urns, statue, or metal post for hanging a basket of flowers must be in line with the foundation of the grave marker/monument, (which means on the foundation). Perennials must be planted in pots or containers placed on the foundation.
 

4. No flowers or decorations are allowed on a second surface mounted marker.
 

5. Any plantings or decorations will be trimmed, removed, etc if in the judgment of the cemetery association this is warranted due to conditions or appearances of the cemetery. Also, the use of gravel, or stone (crushed or pea type) around the monument/grave is expressly FORBIDDEN.
 

6. FORBIDDEN: all plastic flowers except in vases on the foundation.

OTHER
 

1. Non-Catholics can be buried in the Catholic Cemetery if they are related to the Catholic party (i.e. A spouse or child). However, it is in violation of previous agreements between the State of Wisconsin and the Catholic Cemeteries to indiscriminately sell graves to non-Catholics as membership in the parish or the Catholic Church are a requirement for purchase of a grave easement.
 

2. A casket or cremation urn must be placed in an outer burial vault capable of withstanding the weight and pressures of the earth above and surrounding the vault.
 

3. The only vault the cemeteries will accept for burial or inurnment is one supplied through a licensed funeral home because of the liability involved in the burial.
 

4. No more than two (2) cremains may be buried in one grave.
 

5. One (1) casket may be buried in one grave and no urn will be permitted in a casket grave.
 

6. Burials do not take place at St. Michael or St. Stanislaus Cemeteries on Sundays, holidays, or holydays.
 

St. Michael St. Stanislaus Cemetery Association Berlin WI 54923   Revised 08/2011