About Us
Catholic Cemeteries of the Diocese of Metuchen exist to meet the needs of individuals and families before, at the time of death and burial, and throughout bereavement. By setting aside a holy place for burial we provide a fitting environment for full liturgical celebrations. Just as in life, we believe that in death the human body deserves to be treated with respect and dignity. We also foster a type of remembering that is enlightened by faith and sees death as a bridge to the communion of saints. Our bonds with the believing are not broken by death.
Our cemeteries are places of prayer for the dead. By encouraging frequent visits of families and friends of the deceased, the church seeks to foster an environment where love is remembered, hope rekindled, and faith awakened and strengthened. We are a people who come to our cemeteries to be reminded of our history, our Catholic beliefs and practices, and our community as identified in the various parishes of the Diocese of Metuchen. We, as a community, profess our beliefs and value system...even in the silence of the grave.
Painful as it might be, we encourage you to return to the burial place of your beloved. Find there, in the presence of those mortal remains, one joined with the communion of saints. Join with us in prayer for the eternal rest of your beloved deceased. In the stillness of the cemetery, connect with that great prayer of the early Church, "Maranatha" "Lord Jesus, come!"
by Mary Ellen Gerrity
It is the mission at the Diocese of Metuchen’s Catholic cemeteries to care for families with sensitivity and support when they experience a loss of a loved one.
The hours after losing a loved one can be painful and overwhelming. There are many decisions that need to be made within a very brief period. Besides selecting a funeral home and readings for a liturgy, a family must choose where their loved one will be buried. They must also decide whether the deceased will be interred in-ground or laid in a mausoleum, or if they will be cremated and if so what will be done with the remains. For many, all these questions come when they are most vulnerable.
To assist families with their burial needs, the Diocese of Metuchen maintains two burial parks and offers cremation services. Resurrection Cemetery in Piscataway spans 125 acres, and Holy Cross Cemetery in East Brunswick encompasses 225 acres. Each offers in-ground plots and mausoleums with crypts and niches for cremated remains. Since 2008, cremation is one of the services provided at Holy Cross Cemetery.
With all that needs to be determined after a loved one dies, the staff of the diocesan Office of Cemeteries encourages families to pre-plan their funerals. Having a final resting place selected in advance eases the burden of the many decisions that the surviving family members are faced to make.
In addition, it eases the financial burden that takes place after the loss of a loved one. There are many costs incurred at the funeral home and cemetery. By planning in advance, some of these expenses are satisfied and fewer at-need expenses are incurred.
Pre-planning with memorial counselors is recommended so that a final resting place is selected ahead of time -- something which will provide peace of mind for a family. They can also take comfort knowing that those laid to rest in Resurrection and Holy Cross cemeteries are prayed for at the diocese’s First Saturday Monthly Mass of Remembrance.
In addition, a Memorial Day Mass and All Souls Day Mass are celebrated. Bishop Paul G. Bootkoski and Msgr. William Benwell, diocesan vicar general and moderator of the curia, preside at the liturgies. A Veteran’s Day Mass is scheduled to be added in 2014.
Visiting the Mary Sorrowful Mother Mausoleum at Holy Cross Cemetery, individuals will feel the sacredness of this place and see the crypts and niches available as well as the magnificent main chapel and private chapel areas. Here, too, they can see the diocese’s crematory which includes a committal room for a service as well as a viewing window.
Committed to always improving its facilities, recently the diocese installed an innovative piece of equipment called The Clean Sweep, an “Air Broom” in the crematory. It virtually eliminates the possibility of the commingling of remains. Its intuitive and ergonomic design changes the way remains are recovered, bringing dignity and respect to the recovery process involved with a loved one’s remains.
Both cemeteries offer a variety of niches for cremated remains to be housed and memorialized for eternity. These niches are either glass which allows an urn to be seen or have a granite front. They are placed throughout the mausoleums. Church teaching states that cremation is acceptable, but the cremated remains should be housed on consecrated ground.
At Resurrection Cemetery, the diocese plans to build “The Mausoleum of the Holy Spirit.” The12500-square-foot mausoleum will have more than 1,300 crypts and 400 glass niches. It will feature stained glass, carrara marble and sky-lit cathedral ceilings. For visitors’ convenience, restrooms and a private parking lot will be available.
Families will also find that at both cemeteries, there are many opportunities to memorialize a loved one. At Christmastime, families can hang a decoration of their choice on one of theChristmas trees that will stand in the chapels and mausoleums and Christmas grave blankets can be bought at both cemeteries. The blankets consist of woven green balsam artistically decorated with red and white holiday trimmings, pine cones and a red bow placed in the center. Cemetery staff place and remove the blanket for a family’s convenience.
A loved one can also be memorialized with an upholstered oak bench or chair that sits in the chapels and mausoleums or a granite bench for the outdoor grounds. Engraving is offered on a Veteran’s wall of honor and memorial candles, garden plantings, porcelain photos (crypt front only), statuary and stained glass, all in the loved one’s name, are also offered.
Mary Ellen Gerrity is the director of the diocesan Office of Cemeteries. She can be reached at (732) 463-1424, or mgerrity@diometuchen.org.
Diocesan Cemeteries Office, offers sensitive care, support for families
An artists rendition shows the new Mausoleum of the Holy Spirit being built at the Diocese's Resurrection Cemetery, Piscataway. The new facility will complement the Twelve Apostles and Chapel of the Risen Christ mausoleums at the cemetery.
- Rendering courtesy of Edwad T. Czuba Architect & Planner, PA