- Serve the people of God in the name of the Bishop of the Diocese of Orange.
- Affirm the Church’s faith and belief in the hope of the Resurrection.
- Provide consecrated grounds for the interment of deceased members of the Body of Christ at the time of need.
- Provide qualified and caring cemetery staff to assist families with arrangements either after a death has occurred or as part of a well thought-out plan to be recorded and funded well in advance of the actual anticipation of the occurrence of death.
- Provide an environment appropriate for the celebration of the burial rites of the Church for prayer and visitation focussed on the Resurrection.
All those involved in this ministry are committed to:
- Serving families of the deceased with compassion.
- Treating all people with dignity and respect.
- Being sensitive to the diversity of culture and tradition surrounding death.
- Seeing this ministry as an opportunity to share the Church’s faith in the Resurrection.
- View this ministry as an extension of parish ministry to the sick and dying.
As members of the Catholic Cemetery Conference we adhere to their Creed.
CREED of the National Catholic Cemetery Conference:
- We acknowledge that the Catholic Cemetery is established to carry out the sacred religious function of the burial and care for the resting places of the deceased.
- We accept the responsibility of implementing this religious function under the direction and supervision of the local Church authority.
- We believe in and are firmly committed to the teachings and rich tradition of the Catholic Church with regard to the deceased and the sacredness of the cemeteries in which their bodies rest.
- We recognize the deep religious significance of the Corporal Work of Mercy involved in the burial of the dead and reverence for the deceased.
- We are dedicated to the respectful care of the people of God who even in death remain a part of the whole Christian community.
- We are committed to encouraging Catholic prayer and devotion for our deceased brothers and sisters especially in our cemeteries.
- We will oppose any effort to minimize or destroy any of the Catholic teachings which relate to death, burial and devotion to the departed souls.
- We will proclaim through our words, work and example the sacredness of the Human Body, the Belief in the Resurrection and the Christian Virtue of Hope.