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Policy related to the Memorial Garden
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Policy Number:
Approved by: Parish Council
Last reviewed: Jan 2016
Next review due: December 2018
1. Background
St Mark’s has had, in the past a Memorial Garden where families can inter the ashes of their loved ones. Due to
various building projects the location of the Memorial Garden has moved. This caused unrest with people who had
interred ashes there.
To date, St Mark’s has not had a policy about the Garden nor its functioning.
This document provides a policy for the operation of the St Mark’s Memorial Garden.
2. Location
The location of the St Mark’s Memorial Garden is the two small triangular gardens to the left of the main entrance
of the church. The Memorial Garden is bounded by the box borders and the walls of the church.
3. Biblical basis for the Memorial Garden
The Memorial Garden as a whole is considered to be a Memorial to the loved ones whose ashes are interred there.
Genesis 2:7 “the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life
and he became a living being”
Genesis 3:9 explains that after the fall, mankind was under the sentence of death; “you return to the ground, since
from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you shall return.”
The funeral service takes up this theme of our earthly bodies returning to the ground when we die with the words
“earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust…”
4. Policy for the operation of the Memorial Garden
4.1 The Memorial Garden is marked by a small sign/plaque on the church wall. Two such signs/plaques are required.
4.2 The ashes are always to be interred loosely and not left in any container.
4.3 The ashes of any person cannot, in the future, be removed from the Memorial garden.
4.4 No plan will be kept of the location of any interred ashes – they become part of the whole Garden.
4.5 We have a “no plaques” policy, i.e. no individual/personal plaques are permitted
4.6 Flower containers are provided for the use of all who wish to leave a floral tribute for their loved ones.
4.7 Planting of additional shrubs or other plants in the Memorial Garden will only be with the prior written
permission of the St Mark’s Parish Council.
St Marks Emerald Document P-005
23 March 2016
Prepared by R Soderlund
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4.8 The ashes of those whose funeral has been conducted by a staff member of St Mark’s can be interred in the
Memorial Garden
4.9 The ashes of others may be interred, if extenuating circumstances prevail, at the discretion of the Vicar.
4.10 A record of the names of all whose ashes are interred in the Memorial Garden will be kept by the parish.
4.11 If there are exceptional circumstances (e.g. fire, flood, building damage, need to alter the building etc.) that
result in the need to move the ashes interred in the Memorial Garden, St Mark’s
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reserves the right to disturb the ashes interred in the Memorial Garden
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will inform the last known contact of the persons who’s ashes have been interred of the location to which
the interred ashes have been relocated
St Mark’s will use its reasonable endeavours to avoid such moves.
St Marks Emerald Document P-005
23 March 2016
Prepared by R Soderlund
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St Marks Emerald Document P-005
23 March 2016
Prepared by R Soderlund