10/22/2024
CEMETERY UPDATES
by Fr. Joseph Evinger
It came to my attention some months ago, that there are some graves at St. Martin’s Cemetery south of Dodge and St. Paul’s in Halliday which are surfaces vaults.
What does this mean? A vault is the concrete box that the casket and person’s body are placed in. A surface vault means that the vault was never buried. If you see a big concrete slab over the grave of someone, the chances are pretty high that the grave is a shallow grave, meaning there is no dirt over the body.
I’ve been told that up until the 1980s—when it became illegal—there were a number of burials in surface vaults. At the time it sounded good. The vault cover would work as a gravestone and there would be no sunken hole overtime, or so it was said. 40-50 years later, we see now that the concrete vault covers are starting to crack and fall apart. If left long enough, the cover will open and expose the casket which houses the bodily remains.
Here's the solution. As has been done at many cemeteries across the state, specialized personal will carefully dig around the vault so as to be able to lift the vault out of the hole. Then, they will dig a deeper hole and carefully bury the vault with its contents below ground, that is, under dirt so that nothing is exposed in the future.
There have been a few which have been completed at St. Martin’s and St. Paul’s cemetery already. Our plan is to do them all this fall and into the 2025 year.
The cost per grave is $800 - $1000. As parishes we don’t know how we are going to cover the cost for all of the graves but we will need to rebury some of the vaults before they are exposed.
If you have a family member buried at either of these cemeteries, call the parish office at 701-764-5357, leaving your name, number, and a message. I’ll return your call as soon as I can. Or if you have any questions or concerns, or would like to sponsor a relative, let me know.
Thank you for understanding the importance of protecting and showing reverence for the bodily remains of those who have died. May they rest in the peace of Christ.
