http://ct.dio.org/diocesan-life/diocesan-life-articles/catholic-cemeteries-prepare-for-stricter-regulation.html
Sunday, 15 August 2010
Recent state legislation has the potential to make big changes in the way Catholic cemeteries operate, said speakers at a July 28 meeting at Ss. Mary and Joseph Parish in Carlinville. The meeting was held for those who serve Catholic cemeteries in the diocese, including pastors of parishes with cemeteries, cemetery managers, cemetery board members and volunteers who work in Catholic cemeteries. An estimated 100 people were in attendance.
Roman Szabelski, executive director for cemeteries for the Archdiocese of Chicago, and Carol Giambalvo, director of cemeteries for the Diocese of Rockford, were featured speakers.
Greg Fleck, associate director for buildings, properties and cemeteries in the Springfield diocese’s Office for Finance, said that Illinois House Bill 1188, the Cemetery Oversight Act, was passed March 1 by the Illinois legislature in reaction to the scandal at Cook County’s historic Burr Oak Cemetery.
In July 2009, the Cook County sheriff alleged that workers in the cemetery dug up more than 200 gravesites, dumped the bodies into mass graves and resold the plots. Subsequent investigation revealed shoddy bookkeeping and lost records. Many families who thought they knew where their loved ones were buried were left in uncertainty.
The new legislation requires tighter regulation and oversight for Illinois cemeteries, including religious cemeteries, Fleck said. Although Catholic cemeteries will qualify for reduced registration fees and partial exemptions to the act, they must register with the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) by the end of the year or when the bill is finalized, whichever comes first.
Catholic cemeteries not registered by the deadline will lose the opportunity for a partial exemption and be required to fully comply with the law.
Religious cemeteries that apply for the partial exemption will be required to comply with portions of the act that affect maintenance and record keeping. Maps of the cemeteries, both overall maps and those that identify the location of each deceased person, must be readily available. Registration with the IDFPR will be required and all burials, entombments or inurnments will need to be reported with the state. Plus, signage and traffic control will be regulated.
In addition, the act lays out regulations for written contracts (both at time of purchase and at time of burial), price lists and contact information, and methods of payment. The act also provides for investigation of complaints and protection for whistleblowers who report violations.
Michele Levandoski, director of archives and records management for the Springfield diocese, says that there are 98 Catholic cemeteries in the Springfield diocese.
“Historically, management of cemeteries has been at the parish level,” Levandoski said. “The diocese has had little involvement.”
Levandoski said cemeteries in the diocese range from large cemeteries such as Springfield’s Calvary Cemetery to “cemeteries that have had no burials for 30 years or are less than two acres. Many parish cemeteries are run by volunteers. We think for the most part they have been doing a good job — often with limited resources.”
“But the new law changes things,” she said.
To help Catholic cemeteries achieve compliance to the new legislation, a Cemetery Advisory Board has been formed to work on a manual of standard and procedures. In addition to Fleck and Levandoski, members are: Father Thomas Hagstrom, pastor of St. Anthony Parish in Quincy; Father T. Joseph Havrilka, parochial administrator of Mother of Dolors in Vandalia and St. Joseph in Ramsey; and Linda Medlock, manager at Calvary Cemetery in Springfield.
“It is vitally important for our Catholic cemeteries to be in full compliance with the Cemetery Oversight Act,” Levandoski said. “The state wasn’t really interested in partial exemptions for religious cemeteries and if there are problems with compliance, it’s possible the partial exemptions could be revoked. Full compliance would be more stringent and certainly more expensive.”
Fleck said the diocese will send out notifications when deadline dates are announced by the IDFPR. Also, as more information becomes available, the diocese will develop training to be offered regionally for pastors and others responsible for management of Catholic cemeteries.
To read the Cemetery Oversight Act in its entirety, visit the website of the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation at www.IDFPR.com. On the left hand menu, click “Cemeteries.”
For more information on the diocesan Cemetery Advisory Board or diocesan resources for Catholic cemeteries, contact Levandoski at (217) 698-8500, ext. 170.
To read the Cemetery Oversight Act go to: http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/publicacts/96/096-0863.htm The effective dates for the act are March 2011 and March 2012.
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