St. Michael Cemetery

BURIAL RIGHTS. Right to burial in a specific grave space, or lot, may be purchased, but legal title to lots purchased remains in the Cemetery.

• The purchase of burial rights and the use of lots are subject to South Dakota law and the Cemetery’s rules at the time of purchase and use.

INTERMENTS AND DISINTERMENTS. Interment requires written authorization by the burial rights holder, their next of kin or personal representative.

• Only remains or cremains of a human being may be interred.
• Interments are not permitted on Sundays, legal holidays, holy days of obligation and Good Friday. Burial services are to be held prior to 3:00 pm on weekdays and 11:00 am on Saturdays.
• The following multiple interments in a single grave are allowed: a parent and their infant child in the same casket, two children at the same time and in the same casket, one remains and one cremains, and two cremains in an adult grave space.
• No disinterment will be allowed without the authorization of the civil authorities and the Cemetery.
• The Cemetery maintains records of interments and disinterments and a map of grave locations.

CREMAINS. Containers for cremains other than wood or vinyl must be approved before use.

• For a burial of remains and cremains in the same grave space, the remains must be buried first.
• The placement of cremains inside a memorial requires prior Cemetery approval.

VAULTS. Casket vaults are required and must be constructed of concrete, granite, marble or steel. Vaults for cremains containers are recommended but not required.

FOUNDATIONS. Pre-stress or pre-cast foundation caps or granite foundations are required with the installation of all memorials.

• A foundation must provide for a 4″ to 6″ concrete or granite wash around the memorial, with the exception of matching duplicate work on an adjoining grave in good condition.
• Temporary foundations are to be set above ground and reset with a permanent foundation after interment. Both must be set level unless the Superintendent approves otherwise.

MEMORIALS. Memorials (both one-piece “markers” and two-piece “monuments”) may be made from cut stone, fieldstone, granite or bronze, but not from concrete. Before marble or any other material may be used, approval must be obtained from the Cemetery.

• To secure approval to install a memorial, 48 hours prior to the installation of the memorial’s foundation the monument company must submit to the Cemetery a completed permit form and full-payment of the required fee. That company must also obtain instructions from the Cemetery for the exact placement of the memorial.
• Memorials must fit totally within the grave space and may not be placed flush with the ground unless to duplicate a memorial on an adjoining grave.
• Memorials must be set from April through November, unless otherwise approved by the Superintendent.
• No memorial may be set unless all fees and charges due the Cemetery have been paid in full.
• Memorials must be marked by propriety and good taste and must not be allowed to fall into disrepair. Any non-complying memorial must be brought into compliance or removed.

GRAVE DECORATIONS. Except for approved Christmas wreaths and certain flags designated by specific rule, all grave decorations (e.g. flowers, plants, urns, planters, flags and statues) must be set on the grave’s foundation, not on the ground. Decorations must be in good taste and good condition. Non-complying decorations must be brought into compliance or removed.

DISALLOWED DECORATIONS. Shepherd hooks, solar lights, illuminated crosses and memorial light candle holders are not permitted.

STATUES. Statues must fit totally upon the grave’s foundation. Prior approval is required for any statue not made of bronze, marble or granite.

FLAGS. One flag per grave, no larger than 18″ by 18,” is allowed. The combined height of the flag, pole and staff may not exceed 36″ above the foundation (or above the ground if the flag is one permitted under a specific rule exception to be set on the ground).

FLOWERS AND PLANTS. Fresh flowers and live plants may be placed at a grave any time of year. Artificial flowers and plants may be used from November 1 to March 31 and from the Friday before to the Sunday after Memorial Day.

• No live or artificial flowers or plants may be set on the ground; they must be set on the grave’s foundation, or a concrete extension to it constructed for that purpose.
• Flowers or plants that become weather-beaten or unsightly at any tune of year will be removed. Artificial flowers or plants placed for Memorial Day will be removed one week after that day.

URNS AND PLANTERS. Urns and planters made of concrete or granite are recommended. Any urn or planter (except a granite urn or an urn integrated into a memorial) that isn’t planted by June 1, or that becomes dilapidated or in disrepair, will be removed and then disposed of if not claimed in a year.

• No urn or planter, or any other type of flower or plant container, may be set on the ground; they must be set on the grave’s foundation, or a concrete extension to it constructed for that purpose.
• The use of the following containers for flowers and plants instead of urns or planters is discouraged: pots or stands of any material, and vases or other such containers made of glass, porcelain or other breakable materials.

MEMORIAL DAY MASS. Each year the public is invited to attend a special Mass held at the Cemetery on Memorial Day.

SPECIAL PROGRAMS AND FUNDS. The public is invited to contribute to the following, which are aimed at beautifying individual graves and the Cemetery in general:

• Student Work Program
• Perpetual Care Trust Fund
• Urn Planting Program
• Urn Planting Trust Fund
• Christmas Wreath Program
• Urn Sales Program
• Tree Planting Fund
• Flag Replacement Fund

PETS. Pets must be kept in an enclosed vehicle at all times.

REFUSE. Visitors are asked to help keep the grounds clean by discarding refuse in the barrels provided for that purpose.

RESPONSIBILITY. The Cemetery disclaims all responsibility and liability for injury, loss or damage from causes beyond its control.

THIS IS A CEMETERY

Lives are commemorated, deaths are recorded, families are re-united, memories are made tangible and love is undisguised. This is a cemetery.

Communities accord respect, families bestow reverence, historians seek information and our heritage is thereby enriched.

Testimonies of devotion, pride and remembrance are carved in stone to pay warm tribute to accomplishments and to the life, not the death, of a loved one. The cemetery is homeland for family memorials that are a sustaining source of comfort to the living.

A cemetery is a history of people, a perpetual record of yesterday and a sanctuary of peace and quiet today. A cemetery exists because every life is worth loving and remembering—ALWAYS!

Published: (October 2007)

Source: The above information is taken from ”Cemetery Policies and Rules” adopted November 22, 2004 which supersedes all of the Cemetery’s previously published and unpublished policies, rules and regulations. A copy of that document is available at the Cemetery office.