St. Joseph Cemetery

Corner of Ridge Road and New York Avenue

Lyndhurst, NJ 07071

(use 224 Ridge Road for GPS address)

Office: (201) 939–0457

Fax: (201) 939–4196

Email: stjosephcemeterylyn@gmail.com

Gate Hours (Visiting Hours) – 7 days a week – Gates open at 9:00 AM until 5:00 PM

No dogs or pets allowed in the cemetery.

St. Joseph Cemetery encompasses approximately 3 ½ acres of land located at the corner of Ridge Road and New York Avenue in Lyndhurst, NJ.

St. Joseph Cemetery was established to serve the parishioners and families of our faith community. The cemetery is the property of St. Joseph Church, which is located at 120 Hoboken Road in East Rutherford, NJ. The cemetery does not have a physical office at the cemetery. Cemetery affairs are handled through the parish office. Office hours are Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.. You can also contact the Cemetery Administrator at stjosephcemeterylyn@gmail.com.

A comprehensive set of Rules & Regulations govern the cemetery in order to:

• ensure that the cemetery is respected as sacred space, well-maintained, healing and inviting to bereaved families and friends;
• protect the rights and the privileges of the deceased, all families using the cemetery, and those having loved ones buried at the cemetery;
• provide an environment that is safe and secure for those who visit the cemetery as well as those who work within them

Cemetery Plots for Sale

There are currently a number of plots available for purchase in Section B-B which is located on the left side of the main entrance (towards the railroad tracks), parallel and close to Ridge Road. Each single plot can accommodate two (2) interments. The cost of a single plot is $3,000. The plot price does not include the interment charge or the foundation fee. An additional $600 foundation fee is due when a headstone is installed. (Please note that these amounts are subject to change so please contact the office for the most current pricing). If interested, please contact the office for more information.

Price Disclosure (As of June 15, 2016)

*Memorial/headstone is not included in the price of the plot, vaults are not required

* Commital canopy included

**Prescribed urn vault will be required with all human cremated remains

Disinterments at the same time as current burial, check with the cemetery administrator

Prices subject to change. Please call the office for the most current price information.

Please note that St. Joseph Cemetery has a “no cash policy” and we are currently not able to take credit card payments. Payments should be made with a personal or bank check made payable to “St. Joseph Cemetery”. ($50 service charge for returned checks (in addition to bank fee)).

Funeral Directors

An Interment Authorization form is required to be submitted to the parish office for an interment in St. Joseph Cemetery. This form is the responsibility of a licensed funeral director.

Interment Authorization

An original cemetery plot deed is required for all interments at the cemetery. If the original deed is not available, please use the appropriate affidavit from the forms below:

• Duplicate Deed –Owner Living {insert link to pdf form}
• Duplicate Deed – Owner Deceased {insert link to pdf form}
• Disinterment – Owner Living {insert link to pdf form}
• Disinterment – Owner Deceased {insert link to pdf form}
• Holy Innocents – Lost Receipt, Monument Work {insert link to pdf form}
• Interment – Owner Living Interment Owner Living
• Interment – Owner Deceased Interment Owner Deceased

Monument Information

The size of a monument is based on the width of the plot. Monoliths are not permitted. Slanted stones or 2-piece
monuments are preferred. All monuments require a foundation in order to prevent the monument from sinking over time.
Foundations for monuments in Section B-B are $600 and are a standard size of 12” deep x 36” wide. Foundations placed
elsewhere in the cemetery are $1.40/sq. in.. This fee is in addition to the cost for the monument and the applicable
permit fee (see below). Installation of a foundation can be arranged through the parish office.

Veteran Interments, Veteran Markers and Flag Regulations

Veteran Interments

New Jersey Veterans have the option of being interred at the Brigadier General William C. Doyle Memorial Cemetery,
a non-denominational facility funded jointly by the state and federal governments and is managed by the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.

On May 30, 1986, Governor Thomas H. Kean dedicated New Jersey’s first state-operated veterans’ cemetery as “a lasting memorial to those men and women who put their lives on the line to defend our country’s honor and freedom.” On January 3, 1989, the cemetery was named for the principal guiding force behind its development, U.S. Army Brigadier General William C. Doyle. The cemetery is located in Arneytown, North Hanover Township, Burlington County on Province Line Road, which intersects Route 664 to the north of the cemetery and Routes 537 and 528 to the south. It is easily accessible from the New Jersey Turnpike, the Garden State Parkway and Interstates 195 and 295. The cemetery is a contemporary memorial type with all grave markers flush with ground level.

New Jersey Veterans; residents who are members of the Armed Forces or reserve units on active duty at the time of death; certain dependents and certain merchant marines and civilians who have been awarded veteran’s status are eligible for interment at BG William C. Doyle Veterans Memorial Cemetery. There is no charge for services provided by the cemetery including the grave site, preparation and maintenance of the grave site or a Government-provided headstone, niche cover, or grave liner. For more information please visit http://www.state.nj.us/military/cemetery/ or inquire with your preferred funeral director.

Veteran Markers

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) furnishes upon request, at no charge to the applicant, a government headstone or marker to mark the grave of an eligible veteran in any cemetery around the world. Flat bronze, granite or marble markers and upright granite and marble headstones are available. (The style chosen must be consistent with existing monuments at the place of burial.) Niche markers are also available to mark columbaria used for interment of cremated remains.

Headstones and markers are provided for eligible spouses and dependents of veterans only when buried in a national, military post/base, or state veterans cemetery. Spouses and dependents buried in a private cemetery are not eligible for a government-provided headstone or marker.

By law, government markers are not provided as foot stones and should not be used to double-mark a veterans’ grave. VA frequently calls the cemetery to verify the grave is not, or will not be, marked with a private headstone or marker.

A funeral director can assist the family in completing VA Form 40-1330, “Application for Standard Government Headstone or Marker for Installation in a Private or State Veteran’s Cemetery”. A Veterans Service Officer or the cemetery administrator may also assist.

Flag Regulations

Our flag is a symbol of our great country, our heritage and our place in the world. We owe reverence and respect to our flag. It represents the highest ideals of individual liberty, justice and equal opportunity for all.

Smaller flags are permitted on individual graves from Memorial Day thru Flag Day and on Veteran’s Day. Veteran’s Day flags may be placed three (3) days prior to the holiday and remain one (1) week after the holiday. All flags must be presentable and will be removed and disposed of according to the norms of the Quartermaster General of the United States Army.

The staff of the flag is placed directly in the soil in an upright position one-foot in front of and centered with the headstone. Shaft-type veteran and fraternal organization flag holders are prohibited.

Veteran’s Prayer

Almighty God, Father and Protector of all,
We ask that you grant a speedy reward to all
Veterans who have passed out of this mortal life.
In your infinite and loving mercy forgive their failings
and faults that they may join with You for eternal happiness.
Your Son, Jesus Christ, suffered death on the cross and gained
for them a share in His victory over sin and death.
Grant the veterans who have gone to rest in Christ that they may
share in the joy of His resurrection. Amen.

~ By Rev. Msgr. William B. Naedele

Floral Tributes and other Decorations Regulations

We honor the tradition of visitors expressing their love and devotion by decorating graves where loved ones are buried. Our practice is to adorn burial spaces with flowers. Decorating, however, must be done in a way that does not create a safety hazard, impede proper maintenance, infringe on other graves, diminish the Catholic character of the cemetery, or offend others. Federal and state laws, insurance regulations and safety concerns, also impact what is permitted.

For these reasons, cemeteries adopt regulations for the common good. To be effective, it is sometimes necessary to take steps to uniformly enforce the regulations, which are:

• Fresh/live flowers are encouraged
• Cut flowers (bouquets) must be placed in self-draining pin-type vases
• Seasonal artificial flowers are permitted however wire in artificial flower stems is a hazard to power mowers and operators. Artificial floral tributes may only be placed in self-draining pin-type vases
• Nothing temporary may be attached to monuments. Cemetery personnel are sensitive to various ethnic customs associated with decoration, especially at the time of death and burial, and will try to accommodate these customs whenever possible.
• Stands or metal legs used to elevate floral tributes are not permitted.
• Items attached to wood or metal stakes are hazardous to visitors and workers and are not permitted. As a general rule, such items will be removed as they are seen. (The only exception to this is the flags placed during permitted times)
• Shaft-type veteran and fraternal emblems cannot be used
• Glass decorations are not permitted as glass is easily broken in the cemetery and becomes a hazard. Glass items are removed as soon as they are seen.
• No alteration or enhancement of graves with landscape materials of any kind is permitted.

Monuments: With the exception of the area already occupied by an additional marker, annuals may be planted during the growing season in beds 12″ deep and the length of the monument in front of upright monuments, or in urns or holes that are part of monument bases. Flowers may not exceed 15″ inches in height. Seasonal artificial flowers will be permitted in a self-draining pin-type vase placed in the same monument planting area.

Flush Memorials: Annuals may be planted during the growing season in beds 12″ deep and the length of the memorial. A single potted plant of live flowers (6″ minimum) is permitted on top of a flush memorial during the growing season. Flowers, including artificial winter decorations, may be placed to honor anniversaries and holidays.

• After general Fall clean-up, seasonal artificial floral tributes in self-draining, pin-type vases may be placed at appropriate times.
• No shrubbery, including roses, may be planted

Christmas greens (2′ in width only/pillow size/no full blankets) may be placed after November 17th. Because of high labor and disposal costs, families are asked to remove their own greenery from the cemetery. Greens not removed by owners will be disposed of after January 15th.

Items which do not comply with the above regulations or become unsightly will be removed at the discretion of cemetery management.

Because of the large volume, we cannot contact families if decorations are not in keeping with cemetery regulations. For families unable to visit graves, tributes are accepted from local florists and assistance with placement is offered.

Cemetery Maintenance

The cemetery is contracted with a private landscaping company to provide regular landscaping and maintenance services which include grass mowing, edge trimming, shrub trimming, weed removal and grave maintenance.

We often times receive phone calls regarding missing or removed decorations which were placed by family members. The absence of these decorations can be attributed to one of the following 4 ways in which decorations are typically removed:

Regular Maintenance: The cemetery landscaping is routinely maintained. Plantings or decorations that are low to the ground may be inadvertently removed by lawn mowing equipment. Items that are unsightly, faded or broken are removed each week.

General Cemetery Clean-up: All seasonal decorations are removed from graves each year on:

• January 15
• the Monday following Easter Monday
• June 21 (the first day of Summer)
• November 16

Due to the volume of decorations being removed, it is impossible to make provision to claim items after they have been removed. Therefore, should families desire to retain items, they must be removed prior to the scheduled clean-up dates.

Decorations not complying with rules: Cemetery staff work in the various sections of the cemetery on a regular basis. As instructed by the Cemetery Rules & Regulations, and to ensure their safety, and the safety of all who visit the cemeteries, staff members will remove any decorations which are not in compliance.

Wind and Theft: Decorations may also be removed by either of these causes. The cemetery cannot assume liability for decorations. When items are blown about, the grounds crew has no choice but to dispose of them as replacement at specific sites is not possible.

Hours of Operation

The gates located at the Ridge Road entrance and the New York Avenue entrance to the cemetery are opened 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Cemetery affairs are handled through the parish office. Office hours are Monday through Thursday 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.. You can also contact the cemetery administrator at stjosephcemeterylyn@gmail.com.

Directions and Map of Cemetery

The cemetery is physically located at the corner of Ridge Road and New York Avenue in Lyndhurst, NJ 07071. Use 224 Ridge Road, Lyndhurst, NJ for your GPS.

cemetery map

Annual All Souls Mass –  in early October on Saturday at  10:00 a.m. Call the office for the date.

All Souls Day is a solemn feast in the Roman Catholic Church commemorating all of those who have died and are now in purgatory, being cleansed of their venial sins and the temporal punishments for the mortal sins that they had confessed and atoning before entering fully into Heaven. On All Souls Day, we not only remember the dead, but we apply our efforts, through prayer, almsgiving, and the Mass, to their release from purgatory. There are two plenary indulgences attached to All Souls Day, one for visiting a church and another for visiting a cemetery. While the actions are performed by the living, the merits of the indulgences are applicable only to the souls in Purgatory.

Find A Loved One

Our cemetery has a long history and has several thousands of interments. Family members can contact the office for information on a loved one who may be interred at the cemetery. Please note that these requests have to be completed manually, and as such take an extraordinary amount of time for an extensive search. This research is subject to an administrative genealogical research fee of $25 for the initial name and $5 for each additional name.

Please contact the office at (201) 939–0457 or email at stjosephcemeterylyn@gmail.com if you are interested in finding a loved one that may be interred in our cemetery. Please provide the following information when contacting the office for a genealogic search:

• Requestor’s Name
• Requestor’s Address
• Requestor’s Phone Number/li>
• Requestor’s E-Mail address
• Name of the Deceased
• Age of Death
• Date of Death or Date of Interment
• Any special information that may aid in the search

Maintenance Issues

We strive to maintain the cemetery in a fashion that reflects the church’s teachings about the dignity of every human person. Various types of maintenance projects are continuously occurring at the cemetery, however, if you would like to report an item/area that requires maintenance, please contact the cemetery administrator at (201) 939-0457 or stjosephcemeterylyn@gmail.com.

Contact Us

The cemetery administrator can be reached at the Parish Office at (201) 939–0457 or through e-mail at stjosephcemeterylyn@gmail.com.

The mailing address of the cemetery is:

St. Joseph Cemetery

c/o St. Joseph Church

120 Hoboken Road

East Rutherford, NJ 07073