Catholic Cemeteries and Mortuaries
Initiate Plans for the Future
Introduction
Maintaining sacred places for the burial of the Christian faithful is a responsibility passed down from the early apostles and followers of Jesus Christ.
Catholic Tradition
During the early years of Christianity, catacombs served as burial locations for the early martyrs and Christian faithful. These Christian burial grounds served as a testimony to their belief in the resurrections of the body and to the responsibility to properly memorialize their fellow believers. Throughout history, wherever populations gathered, Christian churches developed graveyards to bury the faithful. Today, diocesan and parish cemeteries throughout the world continue to maintain the Church's commitment to provide sacred grounds where the bodies of the faithful can be laid to rest until their resurrection.
The future
One of the most important responsibilities of today's Catholic cemetery management is to provide assurances that future generations of Catholic faithful have the ability to be buried with fellow faithful in sacred grounds. With the help of its volunteer Advisory Council and staff, Diocese of Phoenix Catholic Cemeteries and Mortuaries (DOPCCM) continues to plan to meet the cemeteries long term needs, including new locations and services that enable it to provide a broad range of faith based funeral and cemetery services.
Holy Cross Cemetery, Avondale
Currently, the DOPCCM Council and Staff are working on completing a 75 year plan for Holy Cross Cemetery. Located at 99th Avenue and Thomas, the 36 year old cemetery's plans include a 15,000 to 20,000 square foot mortuary, several new burial gardens, cremation options and mausoleums. The mortuary would be DOPCCM's second funeral home. Queen of Heaven Mortuary in Mesa was opened in June of 2007. The initial site plan gained City of Avondale approval in early January and is now in the process of being designed.
For information on all of the DOPCCM Catholic Heritage Plan services and products, including ground burial, mausoleum, cremation, funeral and final expense insurance, call 602-267-1329.
Christ's Peace,
Gary L. Brown
President
