In recent years, Catholic Cemeteries of Columbus has undergone significant improvements across all three active locations, including extensive renovations to chapels, offices, and grounds.
At Resurrection Cemetery in Lewis Center, the Garden of the Holy Innocents — a sacred resting place for infants lost in early pregnancy — has been renovated after suffering significant damage in 2023. The renovations include a new statue of Our Lady with Child, lush landscaping and a shaded pergola. Memorial bricks that previously lined the pathway will soon be engraved and replaced, marking the final phase of this project.
Resurrection Cemetery is preparing to unveil a new section in 2025 named “The Finding of Jesus in the Temple.” This area will include a newly constructed road and offer a variety of burial options for families, further expanding the cemetery’s offerings.
The largest recent development at Holy Cross Cemetery in Pataskala has been the renovation of the chapel.
While all three cemetery chapels have been renovated over the past several years, the chapel mausoleum at Holy Cross has undergone the most recent update with improved lighting, a suspended crucifix and new carpeting. Additionally, a new sacristy and bathroom have been added to best serve families holding funerals or visiting the chapel.
In September, the completed chapel was blessed and enthroned to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, offering a beautiful and sacred space for prayer and remembrance.
The chapel at St. Joseph Cemetery in Lockbourne also underwent a major renovation that was completed in 2022. The updates made to Our Mother of Sorrows chapel included the addition of a bathroom and more storage, exterior repairs, improved lighting and the placement of the chapel’s Pieta statue behind the altar, where it offers a striking visual representation of the chapel’s namesake.
Earlier this year, glass front niches were installed on each side of the nave and were subsequently blessed by Bishop Earl Fernandes.
This year, St. Joseph has begun development of the St. Andrew section, which will feature unique personal mausoleums — an above-ground burial option that offers a distinctive and dignified resting place. A beautiful statue of St. Andrew will grace the heart of this section, making it a reverent space for reflection.
Two more sections are set to be developed at St. Joseph in the coming months, with availability anticipated in the summer of 2025.
In addition to the unique renovations at each location, ongoing beautification efforts are underway.
Visitors will notice new signage and improved roadways that make it easier to navigate between sections, and the landscaping at each location continues to be enhanced in order to ensure a beautiful environment throughout the year.
In 2025, each cemetery will see the installation of a 72-niche columbarium with an interior ossuary — a respectful burial option for cremated remains housed in a communal setting.
These renovations not only enhance the physical beauty at each location but also reaffirm the Catholic Cemeteries of Columbus’ mission to provide a reverent, authentically Catholic burial option for the faithful within the Diocese of Columbus, and a place of solace, prayer and peaceful reflection for anyone visiting the grounds.