Since 1847, St. John’s Cemetery has served the community as a final resting place in the Diocese of Worcester. 

“We’re here to assist families in time of need,” said Michele McCarthy, office manager of the diocesan cemetery system. “We meet with them with compassion and understanding and guide them the best we can.” 

That compassion and understanding fits perfectly with the theme of the annual Partners in Charity appeal: “Be the Face of Christ.” As Bishop McManus points out, Christ cared for the poor and less fortunate, and so must the Catholic Church, in part, through the agencies and ministries supported by Partners in Charity. 

The cemetery system serves as the Face of Christ for eternity. 

The Partners in Charity fundraising goal is once again $5 million. Last year, 89 percent of that goal was achieved even though church attendance dropped because of the pandemic. Parishes around the diocese are starting their campaigns at various times, some as early as this month. Donations can be made through parishes, by visiting Partners-charity.net or by calling 508-929-4366. 

All of the diocesan cemeteries are run as non-profit businesses so the staff does its best to control costs so it can charge less. Financial assistance from Partners in Charity helps achieve that goal. 

“We’ve always received funds from Partners in Charity,” Mrs. McCarthy said, “because we’re not a for-profit business. We’re a non-profit, but in reality we are a business that has expenses and a lot of times they’re fixed expenses. So we can’t make the prices astronomical.” 

The cemetery system’s budget is based on expected income and expenses, but such unexpected expenses as tree removal after storms and repairs to equipment can arise. Mrs. McCarthy remembers one tractor being about 40 years old so replacement parts were difficult to find. 

“If we knew exactly how many people were going to die in a year,” she said, “and how many people we were going to bury in a year, it would probably be easier, but we don’t know those numbers.” 

Partners in Charity “basically just helps to fund whatever we weren’t able to fund by the normal process of selling lots and burying people,” Mrs. McCarthy said. Figures for the 2021 Partners in Charity distribution show $83,842 for St. John’s Cemetery System.  

The diocese is temporarily without a cemetery director, so Mrs. McCarthy and her assistant handle inquiries, sales and scheduling of burials at St. John’s mausoleum, and for 13 of the diocese’s 14 cemeteries, from their office at St. John’s on Cambridge Street. The only other diocesan cemetery with an office staff is Notre Dame Cemetery in Worcester, which has two service representatives and a bookkeeper for its cemetery and mausoleum. Cemetery director Robert V. Ackerman retired in December and the diocese is in the process of searching for someone to fill the post.    

A maintenance staff of nine, complemented by 13 seasonal workers, handles burials for the 14 cemeteries of St. John’s, Notre Dame, Gethsemane and Calvary in Athol, Calvary in Dudley, New Notre Dame, Old Notre Dame and St. George in Southbridge, Sacred Heart in Webster, Sacred Heart in West Brookfield, St. Anne in Sturbridge, St. Brigid in Millbury, St. Mary in Holden and St. Philip in Grafton. The maintenance staff also mows and clears leaves at St. John’s and Notre Dame and plows all the cemeteries that are open during the winter. 

“We want to respectfully bury our loved ones based on the sacraments of the Catholic Church,” Mrs. McCarthy said, “and we want to be here for perpetuity and be able to have loved ones visit the cemetery.” 

Mrs. McCarthy said fewer people visit than once did and she attributes the fall off more to people moving away from the area where their relatives were buried than the pandemic. Large family lots used to be popular, but Mrs. McCarthy said people no longer want them. 

When purchasing a lot, some families exhibit more signs of grief than others. 

“I let them lead the tone,” she said. “Some families are quite distraught, and you try to get them through it, but not overload them with information.” 

Working with the Gengel family after the death of their 19-year-old daughter, Britney in an earthquake in Haiti, in 2010 was quite emotional for Mrs. McCarthy. Britney’s father, Leonard, coached Mrs. McCarthy’s son in baseball in Rutland. Leonard and his wife, Cherylann built an orphanage in Haiti to honor their daughter. 

“Certainly, any time there’s a child involved is the hardest,” Mrs. Carthy said. 

Because St. John’s Cemetery opened 175 years ago, Mrs. McCarthy said some people falsely believe that all burial lots have been sold. 

“We’re far from full,” she said. “We still have plenty of areas where we have lots to offer.” 

With 165 acres, St. John’s is the largest, about 100 acres bigger than Notre Dame Cemetery. Mrs. McCarthy said St. John’s could probably sell lots for another 50-75 years, maybe more. 

On the other hand, St. Brigid is full and both Calvary in Dudley and St. Mary are nearly full, Mrs. McCarthy said. 

St. John’s buries about 500 people a year, down from 700 or so 25 years ago, but her office remains busy because it services 13 cemeteries. When Mrs. McCarthy began working at St. John’s 18 years ago, winters were quiet. Not anymore. She and her assistant receive as many as 75 phone calls a day. 

Also, Mrs. McCarthy’s office receives far more inquiries in recent years from people researching their family histories. 

There are also many more cremation burials these days. Mrs. McCarthy estimated that when she joined St. John’s, about 80 percent of burials were full body and only 20 percent were cremation. Today, she believes full body burials account for 60 percent and cremation burials 40 percent at St. John’s, and she said the ratio is probably about 50-50 throughout the diocese’s 14 cemeteries. 

Whatever kind of burial the people want, the diocese’s cemetery system strives to make it as respectful and comforting as possible.