St. Joseph Cemetery - Leitchfield, KY Rules and Regulations

St. Joseph Cemetery

Leitchfield, KY

Guidelines & Regulations

(Revised August, 2024)

The guidelines presented in this document are intended to insure that our cemetery will be kept in order and readily accessible to visitors as well as maintenance workers.

I. PURCHASER’S RIGHTS & RETURNABILITY

We frequently use the phrase “buying a cemetery plot,” but what is actually purchased is the “exclusive and permanent right of use” of the grave. Proper “right of use” always implies abiding by the guidelines and regulations of the cemetery. Each plot should be purchased in an individual’s name. If a plot is not used within 75 years of purchase, the plot will revert to the Church unless notification by a representative of the family/owner is given to St. Joseph Church. The cemetery is solely responsible for any resale of burial plots. Gravediggers who are contracted to dig a grave must work with the permission of the pastor or the pastor’s delegate to ensure an exact and specific location of the grave.

II. MEMORIAL MARKERS

Memorial dealers shall abide by all the rules and regulations of the cemetery. Only one marker is permitted at each grave. No foot markers are allowed except flat Veteran’s markers or flat markers if name is not on the headstone. Flat markers are required to be mounted on a stone at least 4” thick & at least 1” larger than the marker/placard and sunk in the ground. (2/2023) Benches are only allowed as headstones & must contain the name(s) and dates of the deceased.

Relatives or heirs are responsible for erecting and maintaining approved monuments & markers which include Name and dates as soon as possible.

Non-cemetery employees (Memorial dealers) who are contracted to place a marker on a grave must work with the permission of the pastor OR the pastor’s delegate to insure an exact and specific location for the marker. Every marker should have a concrete footer at least 24 inches deep. This footer should also extend 4 inches beyond the sides of the base of the marker. The cemetery is NOT able to accommodate mausoleums.

III. CREMATIONS & PLOT RESTRICTIONS

Cremains must be buried in the cemetery. If the plot already has a casket burial, the cremains may be buried above the casket at least 18” deep from the surface. A flat marker must be used to identify the burial with the person’s name, date of birth and date of death if not on the headstone.

IV. CARE OF THE GRAVES

The cemetery maintenance personnel will take care of leveling and seeding all new graves in the spring and in the fall each year. They will also dispose of unsightly flower arrangements and other decorations as part of the regular maintenance of the cemetery. The cemetery is not responsible for the repair of memorials damaged by any cause beyond the cemetery’s reasonable control.

V. DECORATIONS

The cemetery does NOT grant the right to the purchaser to plant flowers, shrubs or trees. No right has been granted to erect free standing statues, landscaping timbers, stones, decorative gravel, benches, borders or any other decorations. All floral designs or decorations should be attached to the marker with either a saddle-type frame or a permanently attached vase or on a shepherd’s hook. No GLASS urns or containers are allowed. When decorations become unsightly they will be removed. Any decorations or flower arrangement not mounted on the headstone will be removed at the time of mowing. Decorations that are blown off the grave by high winds will be disposed of in an appropriate manner.

VI. GENERAL

The cemetery reserves the right at any time and occasionally to change, amend, alter, repeal, rescind or to add to these rules and regulations or any part thereof, or to adopt any new rules or regulations with respect to the cemetery or anything pertaining thereto.

VII. SCHEDULE OF FEES

Beginning November 1, 2021, the plots for parishioners* will be $ 600.

Beginning November 1, 2021, the plots for NON-parishioners** will be $ 1,200.

Plots must be paid for in full at the time of purchase.

There is a $50 fee per plot to swap/exchange reserved plot locations.

*A parishioner is understood to mean any current member of St. Joseph Parish.

**A NON-Parishioner must be immediate family member (spouse, parent, child, brother, or

sister) to a Parishioner unless special approval is granted by the Pastor or Cemetery

Committee.

VIII. OTHER INFORMATION

You can find a record of most of the burials in the cemetery by going to the website: findagrave.com. In 2018 the cemetery began using a computer program called Cemify to keep track of all burial records and mapping. The cemetery homepage can be found at cemify.com/cem/st-joseph-cemetery. The program can be found at cemify.com, enter the email cemetery@test.com and the password 18401840

St. Joseph Catholic Church

204 North Main Street

LEITCHFIELD, KY 42754

270-259-3028