St. Michael's of the Valley

St. Michael’s of the Valley Cemetery Rules and Regulations

St. Michael’s of the Valley Cemetery was founded for the reverent burial of the members of the St. Michael’s of the Valley Parish and others of the community in a cemetery which, so far as possible, will retain the simplicity and natural beauty of the countryside.

The cemetery is the property of the Board of Directors (a corporation of the State of Pennsylvania) and is under the direction and control of the Board, of which the Rector of St. Michael’s of the Valley serves ex-officio.

The Cemetery is adjacent to St. Michael’s of the Valley Church, located in the village of Rector, Pennsylvania, Township of Ligonier, and was established in 1958.

RESTRICTIONS UPON THE USE OF LOTS

Section I. All lots shall be held subject to the laws of the State of Pennsylvania relating to Cemeteries, and to these rules and regulations. No lot shall be used for any other purpose than a place for the burial of the dead.

Section 2. Lot owners shall not permit interments to be made in their lots for a remuneration when a lot is owned by more than one person. No body shall be interred therein other than that of an owner or of a member of his family without the consent of all owners.

Section 3. Cremations are allowed, and two cremations may be interred in one grave. In that case, only one headstone is allowed with a maximum of two names inscribed.

Section 4. Disinterments shall not be made without the consent of the cemetery committee and the owner or owners of the lot in which the body is interred nor without the approval of the proper governmental authorities.

Section 5. No enclosure shall be permitted around any lot or lots.

Section 6. No advertising shall be permitted in any part of the cemetery.

Section 7. No lot shall be elevated above the level of the surrounding grounds.

Section 8. No tree, shrub, plant, or bush other than pachysandra or myrtle as described in Section 11 (except natural cut or potted flowers upon graves) shall be set or placed in or upon any lot. NO ARTIFICIAL FLOWERS OR PLANTS MAY BE USED.

Section 9. The cemetery committee shall have the right, from time to time, to lay out or alter the walks and avenues in the cemetery and to establish or alter the grade of lots as it may deem proper.

Section 10. Lots shall be identified with boundary markers. Cut stone or other markers may be furnished and set at the expense of the lot owner.

Section 11. No unusual material in color, ornament, or decoration shall be allowed by the cemetery committee.

The whole cemetery shall be kept very much as a lawn with only such trees and shrubs as are natural and indigenous to the surrounding woodlands. NO ORNAMENTAL SHRUBS OR BUSHES such as yew, juniper, arbor vitae, boxwood, rhododendron, azalea, etc., are allowed. Only myrtle or pachysandra may be planted on graves, and such small bulbs as snow drops and scilla. MYRTLE AND PACHYSANDRA, IF PLANTED, SHALL BE MAINTAINED BY THE OWNER OF THE GRAVE. Ivy may not be planted on graves. Broadleaved flowers, such as daffodils, tulips, hyacinth, geraniums, etc., may not be planted on graves. They may be placed in pots as near the headstone as possible and shall be removed when dead. The caretaker is authorized to remove them if the owner does not do so. NO ARTIFICIAL FLOWERS ARE PERMITTED AT ANY TIME.

Section 12. Any planting of trees, shrubs, plants, or bushes not permitted under these by-laws will be removed. This includes artificial flowers or other ornamentation as well.

In addition, grave plots that have been planted in either pachysandra or myrtle which become overgrown and not maintained will be removed and replanted with grass. The cost for this work will be charged to the owner.

INTERMENTS

Section 1. Whenever a grave is required to be opened, notice shall be given to the authorized representative at least two days previous to that fixed for the interment, at which time the applicant shall point out the location of his or her lot, and the place therein in which the grave is to be opened.

Section 2. All graves dug in any lot must be at least six inches within the entire line thereof, and of such depth as prescribed by the cemetery committee.

Section 3. The charge for opening, closing, and sodding graves and for all work done in connection therewith shall be established from time to time by the cemetery board.

Section 4. No body shall be received for interment until the undertaker or person in charge of the funeral arrangements has left at the office of the cemetery an undertaker’s order, properly filled out, with the name, age, nativity, cause, time and place of death of the deceased, and the undertaker’s name plainly written therein or until a proper permit from the municipal authorities is delivered to the authorized representative.

MONUMENTS

Section 1. Headstones shall be made as inconspicuous as possible so that the general woodland aspect of the cemetery is preserved. Headstones shall not exceed 30” in height and 26” in width. PROPRIETORS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MAINTENANCE OF HEADSTONES.

Headstones are to be placed at the rear of the grave plot on an adequate concrete foundation three feet deep.

Grave markers of the flush type must be installed level to the ground so as not to interfere with mowing.

Design of headstone is to be submitted to the cemetery officers for approval.

Section 2. The cemetery shall have the right to remove from any lot at the expense of the owner any headstone, or any inscription hereon, which it shall consider dangerous, offensive, improper, or injurious to the appearance of the cemetery or any part thereof.

VISITORS

Section 1. All persons are prohibited from gathering flowers, either wild or cultivated, within the cemetery and from breaking or injuring any tree, shrub, or plant therein. They are also prohibited from writing upon, defacing, or injuring any monument, fence, or other structure within the cemetery.

Section 2. No firearms shall be discharged in the cemetery except at a military burial, nor shall any person with firearms be admitted to the cemetery, except as above.

Section 3. Any persons disturbing the quiet and good order of the cemetery by noise or other improper conduct, or who shall violate any of the rules of the cemetery, shall be immediately compelled to leave the same.

Section 4. Visitors are reminded that injuring, removing, or disfiguring monuments, gravestones, works of art, or shade trees or ornamental plants, in any cemetery or removing flowers, memorials, or other tokens of affection from the graves, is a misdemeanor under the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and is punishable by fine or imprisonment or both.

Section 5. The manager shall prohibit the entrance into the cemetery of all improper persons and of all persons who may be known to have at any time willfully transgressed any of these regulations.

MISCELLANEOUS

Section 1. Any tree or shrub in any lot which by means of its roots or branches, or otherwise has become detrimental to the adjacent lots or avenue, or unsightly or inconvenient, may be removed by the cemetery committee, and said committee shall have the right to enter the said lot and remove the said tree or shrub or any part thereof which it may deem to be detrimental, unsightly, or inconvenient.

Section 2. All earth or rubbish accumulated by the owners of lots, or their agents or workmen, shall be carefully removed as soon as possible and deposited where the manager may direct.

Section 3. Urns, jardinieres, chairs, or settees will not be allowed on or near lots. The corporation will not be responsible for vases or any other such movable objects.

Section 4. All floral pieces and frames deposited on graves shall be removed by the lot owner or his representative within a reasonable time. All such pieces and frames not removed within a reasonable time shall be removed and sold by the manager, and the proceeds of the sale shall become the property of the corporation to defray the expense incurred in removing the same.

Section 5. Lots in the cemetery shall be indivisible and shall not be transferable without the consent in writing of the cemetery committee or the corporation.

Section 6. No lot shall be considered as sold until the consideration money for such lot shall have been fully paid. In case of continued non-payment for such consideration money or any part thereof for the space of one year, the corporation shall have the right to remove all bodies which have been interred in any such lot to a single grave plot, and/or to resell the whole or such part thereof as they may think proper.

Section 7. No headstone may be erected until the plot is fully paid for.

Section 8. Inquiries as to available lots and prices and other information should be made to the manager, who can be contacted through the church office, or to the Rector.

Section 9. The Cemetery Association as a service to lot owners will endeavor to sell their lot(s) or graves(s) when requested to do so. When this takes place, lot owners will be reimbursed for their original cost rather than the current price.

Section 10. These rules and regulations may be altered or amended at any time by the corporation.

A capital endowment fund is maintained, the income of which is used solely for the care and maintenance of the cemetery. Any contributions to this fund are welcome and are tax deductible. They should be made to St Michael’s of the Valley CEMETERY, P.O. Box 336, Ligonier, Pennsylvania 15658.