The Memorial Garden is located in the south east section of the St Mary Magdalen Catholic Church grounds. It is a tranquil place with flower beds and trees offering a location where the cremated remains of deceased parishioners may be interred and friends and relatives can sit in peaceful surroundings and remember their loved ones.
In accordance with the teaching of the Catholic Church, cremated remains are buried and not scattered. Our Christian belief in the resurrection of the dead on the last day means that we treat all human remains with great dignity and respect; our dust and ashes will one day be transformed into the new body of the resurrection, and so should not be allowed to be blown away by the wind, but, rather, reverently laid to rest in the earth.
In order to arrange for such a burial, in the first instance please complete an application form, available from the church or you can download one here. This should be completed and returned to the parish priest before a date and time for the internment can be agreed. There is a one-off fee, payable in advance, charged for such burials to cover the cost of interment and ongoing maintenance.
Unfortunately, it is not possible to bury any form of casket or urn containing the remains; rather the remains should be brought to the church in the cardboard box in which the crematorium issues them to the undertaker, and at the burial, they should be reverently poured into the hole which will be prepared in advance.
In order to maintain the character of the Memorial Garden, individual memorials may not be placed at the spot where the burial takes place. However, a small engraved plaque, no larger than 20 centimetres wide and 15 centimetres high, may be provided, which we will then fix to the southern church wall within the garden area.
Artificial flowers or wreaths are not permitted to be left in the Memorial Garden. Real flowers may be left but any wrappings and packaging should first be removed. Nothing should be planted in the Memorial Garden flower beds without first obtaining permission from the parish priest.
If you would like to be involved in the upkeep and maintenance of the Memorial Garden where your loved ones are placed, we are always appreciative of offers of help and support.
The list below contains the details of those deceased parishioners whose ashes have been placed in the Memorial Garden.
Mr Leslie Harry Robinson RIP. Passed away 10th March, 2000 aged 87 years.
Mrs Elizabeth Robinson (née Mulholland) RIP. Passed away 8th February, 2002 aged 89 years.
Mrs Winifred Frances Razzell RIP. Passed away 1st April 2005, aged 84 years.
Mr John Metcalfe RIP. Passed away 7th February, 2007 aged 74 years.
Mr Claude Turner RIP. Passed away 25th August, 2008 aged 80 years.
Mr Edward Sidney Razzell RIP. Passed away 5th March, 2015 aged 91 years.
Stansilaw Wojciechowski RIP. Passed away in January 2021.
Michael Wojciechowski RIP. Passed away in August 2022 aged 59 years.
May their souls, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
