St. Andrew's Cemetery

NEW ADDITIONS:

The cemetery has added 3 new columbaria in the Private Mausoleum area and 2 new indoor columbaria in Our Lady of Charity Mausoleum. For more information or to purchase a niche for cremated remains, please contact the Cemetery Office at
807-343-9289.

Crypt
Columbaria

St. Andrew's Cemetery Hours

The Our Lady of Charity Mausoleum will be open for visitation Monday to Sunday from 9:00am to 8:00pm. The washroom is still closed.

Cemetery Office

Catholic Pastoral Centre

1222 Reaume St.
Thunder Bay, Ontario
(807) 343-9289
FAX (807) 343-4752
cemetery@dotb.ca

Cemetery Information

See the updated price list below

APPROVED TARIFF 2024 (PDF)

A Faith - Oriented Resting Place

Mausoleums are buildings which house crypts and niches.

Our Lady of Charity Mausoleum was designed by Milne Construction Company of Canada and Portland Oregon — world leaders in mausoleum design and construction. The finest materials have been used.

The mausoleum offers a selection of crypt types: single occupancy, side-by-side preferred companions, tandem true companions and couch style. Arrangements can be made to accommodate families who wish to locate several crypts together.

All crypts and niches are inside — protected from the elements — providing a welcoming environment, year round. The atmosphere lends itself to prayer and reflection. You will feel secure while you visit because the locked entrance will be accessible only by a key provided for your family.

Of course, St. Andrew’s Cemetery will continue to provide a variety of burial services within a contemplative environment.

Cremation In Accordance With Catholic Teaching

While the burial or entombment of bodies is more in keeping with the tradition of the Church, cremation is also permitted. The Church requires that cremated remains be treated with respect and buried in consecrated ground or in a mausoleum niche. A priest or a duly appointed pastoral minister should be present for interment.

Our Lady of Charity Mausoleum accommodates cremated remains.

An Enduring Design, Reflecting Northwestern Ontario

Our Lady of Charity Mausoleum is engineered to the highest standards. Each crypt is tightly sealed, properly drained and adequately ventilated.

The mausoleum is constructed above ground. It is centrally located and accessible, featuring a garden setting and portico. St. Andrew’s Chapel, finished with the finest Italian marble, features a small altar and a statue of the risen Christ.

The exterior of the building is clad in tyndal stone and features skylights. Special commemorative services are held biannually.

Pre-Need Planning: Making Practical Choices

Pre-Need Planning is the arrangement of cemetery services prior to need, in advance of death. Many individuals with specific details or practical reasons feel Pre-Need Planning gives them peace of mind and relieves their family of the emotional burden of making cemetery preparations at the time of death.

Cemetery Services

St. Andrew’s Cemetery is owned and operated by the Roman Catholic Bishop of Thunder Bay. It has provided burial services since 1885. The Catholic cemetery provides a complete selection of burial and entombment services including:

Pre-Need Planning

In Ground Burials

Community Mausoleum

Interment Reservations

Private Mausoleums

Your concerns and suggestions about our services and maintenance programs are always welcome.

Interment pre-need reservations for crypts and niches can be made at the Diocesan Pastoral Centre.

Cemetery Office Location

For More Information / Pre-need Reservations

Please call the Cemetery Office at (807) 343-9289. The St. Andrew’s Cemetery office is conveniently located in the Diocesan Pastoral Centre, 1222 Reaume St. (West of the Balmoral Street Police Station). The office is open Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Physical Cemetery Location

"It is a holy and wholesome thought that we pray for the dead."

Message from Bishop Colli

My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ: As Catholics we believe in the eternal life promised by Jesus, in the resurrection of the body on the last day, and in the communion of saints. We also believe that caring for the dead is a corporal work of mercy and that it is a holy and wholesome thing to pray for the dead.

A Catholic cemetery is an extension of the parish church, a sacred space, and a visible sign and symbol of our unbroken relationship with the community of saints. As such it exists to serve the people of our faith community providing solace and comfort to the living and a place of rest for our deceased brothers and sisters.

For these reasons, I urge you to continue to support St. Andrew's Cemetery and our Chapel Mausoleum as a place of burial, prayer, and pilgrimage.

Wishing you all the best, I remain,

Sincerely yours in Christ,

+ Fred Colli
Bishop Fred J. Colli, Thunder Bay

Cemetery By-Laws

St. Andrews Cemetery

For those visiting the cemetery it is important to know the St. Andrews Cemetery By-Laws.

VISITING THE CEMETERY; ARTICLES PLACED ON INTERMENT RIGHTS HOLDINGS

The Cemetery Operator is committed to supporting a broad array of ethnic preferences and is diligent to create a respectful and dignified resting place for the multi-cultural communities that we serve.

Permitted articles must be placed within the designated planting area of the Lot, or Grave, as defined in the by-laws.

The Cemetery Operator reserves the right to regulate the articles placed on Lots or Graves that pose a threat to the safety of all Interment Rights Holders, visitors to the Cemetery or Cemetery employees, prevent the Cemetery Operator from performing general cemetery operations, or are not in keeping with the dignity and decorum of the Cemetery.  Prohibited articles will be removed and disposed of without notification.

To assist Interment Rights Holder, the following are examples, but not limited to, articles that are prohibited from being placed on Lots or Graves within the Cemetery:

  • articles made of hazardous materials such as non-heat resistant glass (excluding porcelain pictures affixed to the monument), ceramics, or corrosive metals;
  • decorative stones or sharp objects;
  • trellises or arches;
  • chairs or benches;
  • resin and concrete statuary;
  • wooden articles or structures

Please contact the Cemetery Office for clarification prior to purchasing or placing an article on an Interment Right Holding.

6.2 Temporary Wooden Crosses: Only the Cemetery Operator can provide and install a temporary wooden cross on a grave.  The cross is intended to provide the Interment Rights Holder one year’s grace in which to make arrangements for a permanent granite memorial with a monument company.  The cross will be removed after one year.

Any temporary wooden crosses placed on a Lot or Grave by anyone other than the Cemetery Operator will be removed and disposed of by the Cemetery without notice.

6.3 Candles, Incense or Flammable Articles: Lighted candles may be placed on a Lot or Grave only when attended by an adult.  Candle holders must be fully enclosed on all sides by means of a door or lid, and housed within a non-flammable, non-breakable container.  Due to their hazardous nature, oil lamps are not permitted at any time. Lighted candles must be extinguished prior to leaving the Lot or Grave.

Any damage caused by candles is the direct and total responsibility of the Interment Rights Holder. The Cemetery does not assume any liability in this regard.

The Cemetery may remove at its sole discretion, any such article and dispose of it without notification.

6.4 Saddle Sprays: Saddle sprays set upon the top of the monument are permitted year round.  Those saddle sprays which are deemed weathered will be removed and disposed of by the Cemetery Operator, without notification.

6.5 Hanging Baskets are not permitted.

6.6 Memorial Wreaths:  Memorial wreaths may be placed in the garden area.  Those memorial wreaths deemed weathered will be removed and disposed of by the Cemetery Operator, without notification.

6.7 Responsibility for Articles: Articles placed on Lots, Graves, or attached to floral tributes contained in a Columbarium Niche vase, or Mausoleum Crypt vase are the sole responsibility of the Interment Rights Holder.  The Cemetery Operator is not responsible for the loss of or damage to any articles placed on Lots, Graves or attached to a floral tributes in a Niche or crypt vase.

Articles left during the winter months are subject to deterioration and damage, and impede cemetery operations.  It is recommended that Interment Rights Holders remove all articles and tokens of remembrance during the winter months.

Advisory Board

Most Rev. Fred J. Colli, Ex Officio
Gloria Cyr, Chair
Glen Brassard
Pete Mersch
Dick O'Donnell