Antioch Cemetery Adds Mausoleum, Columbarium, Roads and Vineyards

Antioch's 145-year-old Holy Cross Cemetery is not looking its age, thanks to a major renovation and expansion project.

Gone is the "scrub brush" look with growths that resembled tumbleweeds. In its place is a landscaped area that adds an aesthetic appeal to the entire property, said Robert Seelig, diocesan cemeteries director.

The $2 million makeover, however, is far more than outdoor beauty. There is a new Risen Christ Mausoleum with an indoor chapel, two new burial sections, two columbaria for cremated remains, and six acres of vineyards. The roads throughout the cemetery have been improved and parking spaces have been added.

Bishop Allen Vigneron will bless the new areas on March 15 at 11 a.m. The cemetery is located at 2200 East 18th Street in Antioch.

The project, which took over a year and a half to complete, is welcome news for parishes in eastern Contra Costa County, Seelig said. It is 30 years since the last mausoleum was built at the cemetery and it is full. "So there really wasn't an option for somebody who wanted an above ground burial space. That's why the [new] mausoleum was really needed," he said.

The new mausoleum has 680 crypts and 360 glass front niches for cremated remains. The niches have space to include a photo of the deceased along with a rosary or other kind of personal artifact. "Those are real popular with families now because they can do more of a personal memorial when someone is cremated."

The chapel with seating for 100 people provides a place - protected from the elements - where vigil services can be held. The cemetery's First Saturday Masses will also be celebrated there. Previously services had to be held outdoors. "You can just imagine how uncomfortable it could be there at times; it was either too hot or too cold," Seelig said.

The 55-acre cemetery, located on either side of East 18th Street, also has two new burial sections, the first to be added in about 20 years. The Our Lady of Guadalupe section will accommodate 700 burials and the Holy Family section will accommodate 500 burials. Each section will have outdoor columbarium units with approximately 260 niche spaces for cremated remains.

While plots in the Our Lady of Guadalupe section will be marked by ground or flat headstones, upright monuments will be allowed in the Holy Family section, marking a return of the use of popular headstones, Seelig said.

"People are going back to some of the traditions," said Seelig. "It gives you a little bit of opportunity to do creative things with the monument," such as having a statue carved within it.

The cemetery has also seen a resurgence of interest in family mausoleums- granite, house-like structures that serve as private burial places for family members. Seelig said two families have approached the cemetery about building such mausoleums, most likely within the cemetery's new vineyards.

The six acres are being planted with cabernet and zinfandel grapes. Although Antioch is a wine production area, the grapes were planted at the cemetery to add interest to the landscape. "We didn't design it with the idea of making it a revenue generator," said Seelig. It will take a few years to determine whether the grapes will be of sufficient quality to be sold to winemakers and thus provide added income for the cemetery.

Future plans at the cemetery include a funeral center with a reception center, additional chapels, and a mortuary.

Written by Carrie McClish, The Catholic Voice.