ST. CELESTINE CEMETERY
RULES AND REGULATIONS
Effective January 1, 2026
The following policies and regulations governing St. Celestine Cemetery have been drawn up and adopted by the St. Celestine Cemetery Commission. The primary purpose of this Commission is to ensure that in future years the cemetery will be properly cared for and that orderly care will ensure that the Cemetery will always be a place of reverence and respect.
Commission Members: Doug Merkel, Chair ……. 812-630-2793
Rosemary Stewart ……… 812-639-9361
Amanda Steckler ……….. 812-309-1861
Michael Tretter …………. 812-639-2009
Sherry Schnell ………….. 812-630-4140
Advisor: Pastor
ANY WORK IN THE CEMETERY MUST FIRST AND ALWAYS BE APPROVED BY THE CEMETERY COMMISSION.
The St. Celestine Cemetery Endowment provides an opportunity to make continual remembrance for those who have died. A donation may be given at any time.
A. GENERAL INFORMATION
1. All interments and dis-interments in St. Celestine Cemetery shall be done in strict compliance with the laws, rules and regulations of the properly constituted authorities of St. Celestine Church, St. Isidore Parish, the town of Celestine, the County of Dubois, and the State of Indiana.
2. Interments in St. Celestine Cemetery shall not be restricted by reason of religious affiliations of the person to be interred.
3. Interments and dis-interments shall be under the supervision of the Cemetery Commission. Before any work is done in the Cemetery, the maintenance person MUST be contacted.
4. Every casket burial shall be made in a vault of stone, concrete, metal or a combination there of. Such container will be provided at the expense of the plot owner.
5. A cremation urn interred on an unused plot may have a second urn interred, but only one marker (monument, headstone, etc.) is permitted.
a. A person being cremated and wanting their ashes to be placed in the same burial plot of another deceased person, the following will apply:
i. Burial fee and use of a previous plot will be; $50 for a parishioner and $100 for a non-parishioner.
ii. Name, birth and death dates will be etched into the existing stone or a plaque placed on the back of the stone within three (3) months.
6. All plots must be properly marked with approved headstones, (e.g., flat, ground level stones are not approved).
a. Single headstones shall not exceed forty (40) inches in length
b. Double headstones shall not exceed seventy-two (72) inches in length
c. Triple headstones shall not exceed ninety-six (96) inches in length
Width of headstones shall not exceed 14 inches
Height of headstones may not exceed 40 inches
d. Infant headstones may not exceed 20 inches in length
7. Single plots will be measured 4’ x 10’ and cremation lots 4’ x 5’.
8. All interments shall be made in continuous rows. The location of double plots shall be determined by the first burial.
9. Any person, 60 years of age or older, and spouse, may now place a headstone IN ROTATION in our cemetery, prior to death.
10. There will be NO RESERVED grave plots.
11. Once a plot is purchased and upon arrival of the headstone, it will be placed next to the previous stone.
12. Any person, REGARDLESS OF AGE, may purchase a grave plot, but only those 60 or older may erect a headstone.
13. AFTER THE DEATH OF A LOVED ONE, A HEADSTONE MUST BE IN PLACE WITHIN 6 MONTHS.
B. SALE OF PLOTS
1. Plots for registered parishioners of St. Isidore Parish will be $500 and for non-parishioners will be $1,000. Cremation plots will be $300. Lots for infants will be $100.
Prices are subject to change with the approval of the Cemetery Commission.
2. The sale of plots with more than two graves shall be handled on an individual basis. With every extra plot sold in continuous rows, a headstone must be ordered and installed over that plot within six months. Otherwise, large, unmarked spaces are left in the cemetery. No plots will be sold in the future unless an appropriate headstone is ordered to be erected. Proof of purchased headstone can be requested for the sale of a plot.
3. Plot fees are payable to St. Isidore Parish and are payable at any time prior to death or at the time of burial.
4. Plot owners are prohibited from selling or transferring their plots. The Cemetery Commission will repurchase unused plots for the same purchasing price, providing plot owner provides proof of ownership by deed, receipt or bill of sale.
5. Payments for plots do not convey the right of property but conveys only the privilege to use the plot or part of the plot subject to rules and regulations of St. Celestine Cemetery.
C. FUNERAL STIPENDS
1. Funeral Mass stipends in the Diocese of Evansville are $10.00 each at the present time.
2. All Mass stipend money donated at the funeral home for the deceased should be used for that purpose.
3. The family of the deceased may bring all Mass stipends to St. Isidore Parish Office within one month of the day of burial along with any requests to whom they want Mass stipends sent.
D. CEMETERY CARE
1. Glass containers for flowers, greens, etc., will not be permitted in the cemetery.
2. Live shrubs, bushes, flowers may not be planted anywhere.
3. All wire, plastic with wire, ornamental, and artificial, of any kind, should be removed within one week of any special occasion or funeral unless such is placed in permanent vases above the base of the grave marker.
4. Burial lots shall not be enclosed by fences, railings, copings, hedges or embankments.
5. Major physical improvements of cemetery lots will not be permitted without permission of the Cemetery Commission.
6. The Cemetery Commission reserves the right to prohibit the erection of monuments, headstones or markers which it deems will be in conflict with its general plan for St. Celestine Cemetery.
7. Headstone and grave markers are the responsibility of those leasing the cemetery lots. Expenses incurred from damages remain their responsibility. Repairs must be made with the approval of the Cemetery Commission.
8. No person is permitted to perform any work on the cemetery premises without first gaining permission from the Cemetery Commission. Parish Office phone number is 812-634-1875.