Frequently Asked
Questions

Costs vary by location and type of burial option. Our preplanning staff will provide you with a detailed list and answer any questions you may have about your options and costs.

A percentage of the cost of each grave or niche goes into a permanent care fund, which ensures that our cemetery will always be maintained.

Perpetual care and maintenance provides for regular care and maintenance of the cemetery, which can include mowing, regrading, planting and maintaining trees, water supply system maintenance, roads, drainage, and more.   In addition to a portion of each sale being set aside for this fund, Saint John's has a cemetery fund for memorial donations or contributions to help with the continued care and improvement of the cemetery and landscaping.

No.  Convenient payment plans designed with no interest or finance charges are offered if full payment is not possible.  Major credit cards are also accepted.

States have different laws; some limit the maximum time before final disposition.  Things that must be considered: securing official permits and authorizations, notifying friends and family, preparation of the burial site, and religious requirements.  Your funeral director will be well-versed on the regulations.  In addition, with cremation, a cemetery interment can take place at a time and date that is convenient to the family.  Sometimes, because of extenuating circumstances, or choice, the cemetery service can be held even years after the actual cremation.

No.  Embalming is a matter of choice and is not required.  Several factors will influence your decision: 1) length of time between death and burial; 2) if you plan to have an open coffin or casket for public visitation; 3) to enhance the deceased's appearance in an open casket for public viewing or private viewing by family members; 4) public transportation of the body by plane or train. A funeral home would assist with these details.

Fees for interment cover the cost of many separate services performed by cemetery personnel. They include administering and permanent recordkeeping – we determine ownership, obtain permission and complete all other necessary documents, enter the interment details in the interment register, and maintain all legal files.  The fees also include opening and closing the grave – we locate and lay out the boundaries of the grave, excavate and fill the space.  We also level, tamp, regrade and sod or seed the grave site, and level and re-sod it if the earth settles.

A burial vault is the outside container into which the casket or urn itself is placed.  It is designed to protect the casket or urn and keep the grave surface from sinking in.  Burial vaults vary – they can be built of one or more of the following materials: concrete, stainless steel, galvanized steel, copper, bronze, etc.

Yes.  You can purchase a cemetery space in advance.  Planning ahead lets you consider the options you prefer.  As an informed consumer, you can make the decisions about your funeral, your cemetery arrangements, and the kind of memorial you want.  It's also a wise economical choice, because you purchase at today's prices, free from future inflationary pressures.

Today individuals and families often purchase cemetery space decades before it is expected to be needed.   Preplanning for a cemetery need is quite similar to preparing a will.  It is done for those who will be left behind and will have to handle end-of-life details.  We also have literature on hand to provide step-by-step funeral planning.

Rather than a deed, you will receive a Certificate of Burial Rights.  The purchase of a grave or a niche is actually a purchase of the right to designate who may be buried in that space – subject to what the cemetery's rules permit. You're not actually purchasing the space itself – that remains the property and responsibility of the cemetery. Purchasers will receive a Certificate of Burial Rights as proof of purchase to inter the individual's remains. 

Yes.  Cremated remains may be shipped through the U.S. Postal Service, but they must be shipped by registered mail with a return receipt requested. UPS and FedEx will not accept cremated remains for shipment.

The United States Postal Service lists the procedure for shipping human ashes.

Mail to:

Saint John’s Abbey Cemetery Office
PO Box 2400
2900 Abbey Plaza
Collegeville, Minnesota 56321