SALT LAKE CITY — A special limited collection will be taken up in parishes along the Wasatch Front June 9 and 10 to benefit Mount Calvary Catholic Cemetery, the only Catholic cemetery in Utah. The collection will be taken up in parishes from St. Olaf Parish in Bountiful to St. John the Baptist Parish in Draper. Curt Rosentreter, director of Mt. Calvary Catholic Cemetery, said for the first time the special collection will also apply to the newly established St. Andrew Parish in Riverton. "This special collection had been taken up for years, but then was stopped," Rosentreter said in a May 30 interview with the Intermountain Catholic. "We are a non-profit entity, and we struggle with infrastructure issues, like curbing, water, weeding, and the leveling of headstones and graves." These issues prompted the Diocese of Salt Lake City to re-institute the special collection five years ago, said Diocesan Chancellor Deacon Silvio Mayo. Out on the grounds of the cemetery there are good examples of upgraded equipment in which the cemetery has invested, including lawn mowers and backhoes that are needed to keep the cemetery running. One new commercial-size lawn mower that allows the cemetery staff easy access around grave sites and trees cost the cemetery more than $11,000. "It increased our productivity 35 percent," Rosentreter said. "We also have replaced old curbing and installed new curbing where none existed before. It costs about $25,000 for every 500 feet of new curbing." Mount Calvary Catholic Cemetery also has had a long tradition of meeting the needs of people who can’t afford the burial costs of a loved one, Rosentreter said. "We have helped out with the purchase of burial sites and/or the concrete vaults that are needed. That is part of our responsibility as Christians." Water, including irrigation water is a need at the cemetery, Rosentreter said, and currently, Mount Calvary is completely dependent on the Salt Lake City for their water supply. "Whenever water prices go up for homeowners, they go up for us, too. "In the last four years I’ve seen the our waters costs go up 70 percent," he said. "We are examining the possibility of drilling a well to provide us with less expensive water, but in order to do that, we will have to purchase water rights. We don’t know yet how much those will cost, and the number of water rights we will be able to buy is undetermined." Even when the cemetery is full, and no more burial, inurnment, or mausoleum space is left, some years in the future, the Diocese of Salt Lake City will still be responsible for its maintenance, Rosentreter said. The diocese continues to search and negotiate for more land for future Catholic burials. Over the past four years, Mount Calvary has built two mausoleums, increasing the number of people to be served, but the cemetery’s staff has not increased, Rosentreter said. "This limited parish collection on behalf of Mount Calvary Catholic Cemetery is very helpful and raises about $10,000 per year," he said. "Of course, we are very grateful for any assistance we get, whether it is from this special collection or through donations to our endowments in the Catholic Foundation of Utah."
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