Saint James Cemetery

St. James Cemetery has been a sacred, final resting place for our loved ones since 1871.  Generations of families have visited and paid respects to their relatives on this holy ground.  Please take time to read our regulations that are made in the interest of all concerned so that our Cemetery may be a place of beauty.  The St. James Cemetery Committee welcome your feedback and suggestions, and it is our aim to provide courteous service at all times.  Should you have any questions regarding the Cemetery, please call the Parish Office at 270-765-6268 and they will help you contact a committee member.  

Rules and Regulations

The term “Management” shall mean the Administrator or Sexton of St. James Cemetery and the members of the St. James Cemetery Board or Committee.

Purchase of Graves

  • Those who are interested in making a selection of a grave(s) are to call the Parish Office. The Parish Office will contact Management, and they will call or arrange to meet with the interested party. St. James Cemetery does not discriminate against anyone who wishes to purchase a grave.
  • Management reserves the right to specify the terms of purchase of graves. This can include a different rate for parishioners of Catholic churches in Hardin County and set installment payments for multiple graves purchased.
  • If installment plans are chosen, persons must pay the cost for one grave at time of purchase. A certificate for right of burial will not be issued until the installment plan is paid in full.
  • Should the purchaser of burial rights default or fail to carry out the terms of purchase, Management may, without notice, declare the agreement cancelled and all rights of the purchaser forfeited. This can include removal of any memorial.

Arrangements for Burials

  • Families will make arrangements with licensed funeral homes for burials. The funeral home will contact Management to agree upon the time and date for burial.
  • In some cases, a person’s ashes may not have been buried immediately after death. Families can contact the Parish Office and then Management will arrange for interment of the urn and ashes.
  • Management shall not be responsible for any mistake occurring from funeral homes’ or families’ instructions. This can include an error on the location of the grave for burial. Management reserves the right to make an equitable charge when additional costs result from such mistakes.
  • Management shall be in no way liable for any delay in a burial where a protest to the interment has been made, or where the rules and regulations have not been complied with. Any protest may be required to be in writing and sent to Management.
  • Management shall have the right to fix a charge and time of payment for each interment, disinterment, removal, transfer of burial rights and for the performance of any other service rendered at the request of the grave owner(s).

Burial Procedures

  • Funeral Homes are responsible for all documentation required by law. This includes certificates of death and public health forms.
  • A casket or urn may not be opened at any time within the cemetery without the permission of Management.
  • All casket interments require a burial vault consisting of concrete or a minimum of 12-gauge steel (no wooden boxes). Management assumes no responsibility for sealing a vault.
  • Management does not require a vault for the interment of urns.
  • Management allows a casket and an urn to be buried in a single grave. Two urns are allowed to be buried in a single grave. Two caskets are not allowed to be buried in one grave. Proper memorials must be placed to identify all persons buried in a grave.

Rules for Gravesites

  • No curbing, fencing, hedging, borders or enclosures of any kind shall be allowed on a grave(s). Management reserves the right to remove these items. No digging or planting is permitted unless approval is first obtained from Management. Grass only shall be planted on graves.
  • Management reserves the right to regulate decorations of a grave(s) so that uniform beauty may be maintained.
  • Flowers and plants that are placed on graves shall not be in glass vases or bottles. Glass containers are not permitted and will be removed and disposed immediately.
  • Management is not liable for vases, floral arrangements, baskets, frames or other decorative items that are placed on graves. Floral arrangements will be left for several days after interment before removal.
    Baskets, wreaths, potted plants and artificial decorations placed on graves during Christmas season will be removed when mowing season begins.
  • Nothing shall be allowed on graves during mowing season, and Management reserves the right to remove any items.
  • Plants and flowers may be placed on graves at Easter, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. They will be picked up and removed within ten days.
  • Flowers and flags may be placed on graves Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day. They will be picked up and removed within ten days.
  • Management reserves the right to remove objectionable material from graves or headstones.

Grave Owner’s Rights

  • After payment is received for all graves, the purchaser will receive a certificate that designates they have the perpetual right to be buried in St. James Cemetery at the location they requested.
  • A grave owner may sell or donate graves back to Management. It should be understood that Management can only offer the original purchase price minus the amount sent to the Archdiocese for the perpetual fund. The grave owner must relinquish the original right to burial certificate to Management.
  • A grave owner may sell or transfer graves to another interested party. Management must be notified of such transactions and the original right to burial certificate must be given to Management. In turn, management will issue new right to burial certificates to the new owner(s).
  • The purchaser of graves shall identify who is to be buried in each gravesite. This will avoid confusion and turmoil among family members if this task is completed. However, if assignments have not been designated the rights shall pass in the following manner:
    • 1) surviving spouse of the grave owner
    • 2) instructions in a Last Will and Testament
    • 3) surviving children of the grave owner
    • 4) surviving siblings of the grave owner

Use of Cemetery

  • Management is not responsible for any injuries sustained by anyone in the cemetery.
  • No one is permitted to loiter or conduct boisterous demonstrations within the cemetery.
  • Children under the age of fifteen should be accompanied by an adult.
  • Pets shall not be allowed in the cemetery. Exceptions must be granted by Management.
  • At no time shall a vehicle drive through the cemetery at a speed in excess of 15 miles per hour. Vehicles should be parked on the roads and lanes of the cemetery and not in the grass.
  • The cemetery shall not be used for recreational activities; therefore bicycles, skateboards, and other similar devices are prohibited.
  • No one shall damage or remove flowers, trees, or landscaping.
  • No one may remove flowers or floral arrangements from graves or headstones. Anyone caught stealing anything from the cemetery will be prosecuted.
  • No one shall be permitted to solicit the sale of any item within the cemetery.
  • No signs, notices or advertising of any kind shall be allowed within the cemetery except those placed by Management.
  • Management reserves the right to forbid and prevent assemblages.

Management Rights

  • All improvements and care of the cemetery shall be under the direction of Management, and only to the extent deemed necessary by Management. Should alterations be made without consent of Management, then Management reserves the right to remove or change such alterations at the expense of the party involved.
  • Management has the right to approve or disapprove outside contractors that perform work in the cemetery. Damage to memorials, gravesites, or other property by outside contractors shall be repaired and the cost shall be charged to the responsible party. Management reserves the right to stop all work by an outside contractor.
  • Management disclaims all responsibility for loss or damage from causes beyond its reasonable control.
  • In all matters not specifically covered by these rules and regulations Management reserves the right to use best judgment. Management reserves the right, without notice, to make temporary exceptions to these rules and regulations, providing Management uses reasonable and fair judgment.

Volunteers

  • Volunteers are not permitted to do any work for grave owners except under the approval of Management.
  • No volunteer shall receive any fee, tip, gratuity, or commission except from Management.

Memorials

  • Management reserves the right to approve and restrict the type, size, design, craftsmanship, quality and material of memorials that are to be placed in the cemetery. All memorials are subject to the approval of Management prior to placement. If the memorial does not conform to the restrictions set by Management, it shall be the sole responsibility of the memorial dealer to correct errors.
  • Management reserves the right to fix charges for memorial foundations, placements, or removals, and the right to demand that charges be paid in advance before the work is performed.
  • Memorial dealers must contact Management to determine the exact location and position in which a memorial is to be placed.