On behalf of the Catholic Community of St. Peter’s, we thank you for trusting us to serve you by providing sacred space for the inurning of the remains of your loved ones. The St. Peter’s Columbarium offers a final earthly resting place for our deceased parishioners and their families. Sacred to the memory of those who have departed from our world, it will also be a place for visitation, meditation and prayer.
The following rules and regulations are based upon those adopted by the Archdiocese of Atlanta, Georgia and are for the common protection of the owners of all niches and the preservation of the natural beauty of the area.
Eligibility
The Columbarium is intended for the interment of the cremated remains of current or former parishioners of St. Peter’s Catholic Church and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Mission Church, their immediate family members and current or prior Clergy of St. Peter’s. A parishioner’s immediate family shall include spouses, children or step-children, and other family members who reside in the same household. Exceptions to this policy must be approved by the Pastor.
Management
The administration, operation and maintenance of the Columbarium is the ultimate responsibility of the Pastor of St. Peter’s with advice and assistance from the Columbarium Advisory Committee (“the Committee”). The Committee shall consist of five lay members from the Parish who will serve for a period of one year after completion of construction of the Columbarium. After that time, the responsibility for advising the Pastor on matters related to Columbarium policies will pass to the Finance Council. A person or persons, appointed by the Pastor, will be responsible for overseeing the everyday operations of the Columbarium.
Purchase of Niches
To purchase a niche, an eligible person should obtain an application form from the parish office for a Certificate of Right of Inurnment. The application should be completed and submitted with payment in full to the Parish Business Manager. When the application is approved, a Certificate of Right of Inurnment shall be duly executed and delivered to the purchaser. The purchaser will then have the right to select any niche(s) which may be available at the time. If more than one application shall have been approved on the same date, the rights of preference shall be based on the date and time the completed applications are received.
The Church reserves the right to limit size, type, style and material of all urns. All remains must be in an approved urn, or suitable non-perishable container, to be placed in the niche. External dimensions of all niche spaces are 12” wide x 12” high x 12” deep. While all niches in the Columbarium will be suitable for two urns, this same niche may be used for a single urn as well.
The Certificate of Right of Inurnment grants inurnment rights for the placement of human cremated remains only, the ownership in fee of the land and structure remains with the church.
Fees
All fees must be paid, in full, prior to any inurnment. The purchase price of a niche includes all costs directly associated with inurnment and an assessment for perpetual care of the Columbarium. It does not include the cost of cremation, the cost of transportation or other off-premises costs.
Inscription on Memorial Plaque
In the interest of maintaining a clean and uniform appearance, all memorial plaques will be engraved in the same style, although unusually long or hyphenated names may require an adjustment in the font size. The inscription shall be limited to the name of the deceased and month and year of their birth and death. No other inscriptions or epitaphs are permitted. An Authorization for Inscription form will be provided by the Committee to be typed or printed in ink, and signed by the person or persons entitled to do so. Arrangement for the inscription will be made by the Committee upon receipt of the completed Authorization for Inscription form and payment in full for the cost of the inscription. The Church shall be responsible only for such errors in the inscription as might be made by the party doing the inscription which deviates from the name and dates filled in on the signed inscription order form.
Flowers and Decorations
Space will be provided for suitable floral tributes only at the time of any memorial inurnment service. Floral tributes will be removed not later than seven days after the inurnment or whenever they become unsightly at the discretion of the Church. No artificial flowers or pictures, artifacts, vigil lights, crockery, toys or similar ornaments or articles will be permitted. Any such decorations will be removed upon discovery without notice to the owner. While these personalized mementos may bring a level of comfort to those visiting the Columbarium, the overall appearance is distracting and in some cases may obscure the visibility of surrounding niches.
Assignment or Transferring of Rights
If the purchaser desires to assign or transfer any right of the inurnment hereby given, the purchaser shall submit the name or names of the assignee or transferee to the Church which reserves the right to withhold consent to such assignment or transfer for any reason which in its sole discretion shall deem proper. Niche owners cannot resell their inurnment rights on the open market.
Removal After Internment
If after inurnment, Owners or those designated “Next of Kin” desire to remove cremated remains entirely from the
Columbarium, that request must be in writing, setting forth the reasons and circumstances for the request, including the authority of the person making the request. If such request is granted, the entire amount of the fee and the certificate shall be forfeited and all rights of inurnment shall cease. Therefore the niche shall become and be available for designation by the Church for the use of other members or persons eligible under the terms of these rules, policies, and regulations.
In the event that the Columbarium requires repair in order to maintain its integrity, the niche certificate holder agrees to permit the temporary removal of any cremains until those repairs are completed.
Perpetual Care Fund
A specified amount from the sale of each niche shall be maintained in an account at the Catholic Foundation of North Georgia as a perpetual care fund for the upkeep and routine maintenance of the Columbarium.
Relocation of Columbarium
The right of inurnment will continue as long as the present Church edifice stands and is owned and utilized as the primary place of worship by the Church. If the present edifice is to be sold or demolished and a replacement Columbarium is to be constructed at a new site, any niche owner will be entitled to an inurnment space equivalent to the space occupied at that time and the expense of the move will be borne by the Church. If St. Peter’s Catholic Church is dissolved as an entity and a replacement Columbarium is not constructed at a new site, the Archdiocese will find a suitable burial site for relocation of the cremains. In that event, the Church will notify niche owners or their successors of the plans to move the cremains to an alternate burial site. Should the owner or their successor not approve of the new site, they will be given 90 days to claim the cremains. If no one of such person removes the cremains within this time period, or if no one of such persons can be contacted within this time period, the Church has the right to relocate the cremains to the alternate site. No refund for the inurnment rights will be made.
Modification and Amendments
Modifications - Special situations may arise in which the enforcement of a rule may impose unnecessary hardship. Therefore, upon recommendations of the pastor, the Committee may make exceptions, suspensions or temporary modifications in any of these rules and regulations when the same appear advisable. Such temporary exception, suspension or modification shall in no way be construed as waiver of the general application of such rule.
Amendments - The Committee may at any time adopt new rules and regulations, or amend, alter or repeal any rule, regulation or article, section, paragraph or sentence in these rules and regulations, provided, however, that any such change, addition or repeal shall not become effective until ratified by the Committee.
Severability - If any provision hereof be held by constituted authorities to be invalid in whole or in part, these rules and regulations shall, nevertheless, except only to the extent of such partial invalidity, remain and be valid and effective.
The above rules may, from time to time, be amended by the Church and all such Amendments shall be available in the Church office. All rules & regulations of St. Peter’s Church Columbarium are subject to the applicable laws of the State of Georgia.