St. Innocent Orthodox Christian Cemetery is founded as an expression of our Christian love for one another. St. Nikolai Velimirovic, in his homily for the Sunday of the Myrrh-bearing Women, poetically writes:

"Man is sublime when he cares for the living; Man is more than sublime when he cares for the dead. A man often cares for the living out of selfishness. But what selfishness can there be in a man’s caring for the dead? Can the dead pay him, or express their gratitude? Some animals bury their dead; giving them to the grave, they give them over to forgetfulness. But when a living man buries a dead one, he buries a part of himself with the dead man and returns home carrying a part of the dead man in his soul. This is especially clear – terribly clear –when a kinsman buries a kinsman, and a friend a friend. Death has one characteristic in common with love: it, like love, works a profound change in many that experience it and go on living."

As Orthodox Christians, we care for the human person from the womb, to and even in, the tomb. As a holistic incarnational faith, our concern is for people’s bodies as well as their souls. We hope that our cemetery will be a ministry to the living and the dead. To the young and full of life it will be a place to visit their loved ones who have passed. To those in the process of dying, it is a place of rest where they know they will be prayed for, visited, and remembered. A burial ground on Church property expresses the unity of the One Church, composed of the living and the dead, as they “look to the Resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.”

Who May Purchase a Burial Plot?

Burial plots are available to the following individuals:

• Members of Saint Innocent Orthodox Christian Church who are in good standing
• Members of other canonical Orthodox parishes who meet similar membership standards
• Close family members (parents, siblings, spouses, or children) of eligible Orthodox members of St. Innocent, even if not themselves Orthodox, at the discretion of the Parish Priest and Parish Council

In all cases, eligibility is determined by the Parish Priest and Parish Council.

What Are You Purchasing?

When you purchase a burial plot, you receive a Certificate of Easement and Use for Burial of Remains. This grants you the right to use an assigned plot for burial — it does not convey ownership of the land itself. The certificate cannot be transferred, sold, or exchanged without the written consent of the Parish Priest, Parish Council, and Cemetery Committee Chair. Please note that full payment must be received before burial may take place.

How Much Does a Plot Cost?

Plot prices are set by the Standing Cemetery Committee and approved by the Parish Priest and Parish Council. Pricing includes both the cost of the plot and a separate amount dedicated to ongoing cemetery care and maintenance. Please contact the Cemetery Committee or the church office for current pricing.

Special provisions: Plots are available at no cost to parish priests who have served at Saint Innocent (and their spouses and minor children), to indigent persons (with approval), and to stillborn or deceased children under age three from eligible families.

How to Apply

• Complete the Cemetery Application form, available from the church office or a Cemetery Committee member.
• The application asks for basic information: your name, contact details, date of birth, marital status, spouse’s name, parents’ names, current parish, and parish of baptism or chrismation.
• You will select a specific plot space and block together with the Cemetery Committee.
• By signing, you affirm your eligibility and agree to abide by the cemetery’s Rules and Regulations.

Questions?

For more information, please email siocemetery@st-innocent.org or call the church office at (478) 994-1648. We are happy to help.

Your Certificate of Easement

After your plot is paid in full, you will receive a Certificate of Easement and Use for Burial of Remains for your assigned plot. This certificate grants you the right to use the plot for burial — it does not convey ownership of the land itself. The certificate cannot be transferred, sold, subdivided, or exchanged without written consent from the Parish Priest, Parish Council, and Cemetery Committee Chair. Please keep your certificate in a safe place and let your family know where to find it.

Important Rules for Your Plot

• A permanent grave marker must be installed within 120 days after burial. Temporary markers must be removed after 120 days.
• All markers must be in the form of a cross or include an engraved image of a cross, in keeping with Orthodox tradition. No secular symbols or designs are permitted.
• Marker drawings or photos with exact dimensions must be submitted to the Cemetery Committee for approval before ordering.
• Markers are placed at the head (west side) of the grave, must include the Christian name of the person buried, and may not exceed 3 ft. wide by 4 ft. tall for single markers. Family headstones for adjacent plots may be up to 6 ft. wide.
• VA-issued headstones are automatically approved.
• No fencing, coping, borders, hedges, gravel, bricks, or decorative stone around plots.
• No permanent trees, bushes, or flowerpots. Temporary wreaths and cut flowers are allowed for special occasions (Pascha, Nativity, Memorial Day, birth/death anniversaries, Name Days) but must be removed within 30 days.
• Concrete burial vaults are optional and at the family’s expense. If no vault is used, any future ground leveling is the family’s responsibility.

At the Time of Death

• Contact the Parish Priest (Fr. Theophan Buck) as soon as possible. He will guide you through the Orthodox funeral rites and coordinate with the Cemetery Committee.
• The funeral home you choose will coordinate the practical details of burial — opening and closing the grave, transporting the casket, etc.
• Cremation is not permitted under Orthodox canon law. The body must be placed in a casket and buried in the ground.
• Burial may only take place once the plot has been paid in full.
• The cemetery is open for services and visitation from sunrise to sunset. No religious rites can be conducted at the cemetery without the approval of the Parish Priest.
• No motorized vehicles are permitted within the cemetery grounds.

Visiting the Cemetery

• The cemetery is open sunrise to sunset, year-round.
• Please maintain quiet, reverent behavior consistent with the sacred nature of the grounds.
• Children under 10 must be accompanied by an adult.
• No animals except service animals.

Questions or Need Help?

Contact the church office at (478) 994-1648, email siocemetery@st-innocent.org, or speak with a member of the Standing Cemetery Committee. We are here to help and are happy to answer any questions you may have.

The FTC Funeral Rule

• Your rights under the Funeral Rule
• Funeral Costs and Pricing Checklist
• Types of Funerals
• Choosing a Funeral Provider
• Buying a Cemetery Site
• Planning Your Own Funeral
• Funeral Terms and Contact Information
• Complying with The Funeral Rule