CRANSTON–Saying goodbye to a loved one at the cemetery is never a happy time, but Father Anthony Verdelotti, the director of the Catholic cemetery office for the diocese and his associate director, Arthur Lurgio, do not want it to be as dark as it was in the past at St. Ann’s cemetery.
The four chapels in the Cranston cemetery were built in 1965 as an alternative to graveside committal ceremonies. At that time they were a welcome change for Catholics burying their loved ones at St. Ann’s who had previously had to battle the elements during graveside ceremonies which happened rain or shine, snow or sleet.
But, several decades later, the chapels were beginning to show their age. As Lurgio pointed out, the decor was deeply reminiscent of the 1960s. “I guess we’d call it retro today,” he said. And the dark wood paneling, shag carpets, and absence of lighting created an environment that was less than inviting. “Even on sunny days it was kind of glum in there,” said Lurgio.
When Father Verdelotti became the director of the Catholic cemetery office in 1999 revamping the chapels was at the top of his list. From funeral directors to the families of those being buried, nearly everyone had complained about the atmosphere of the chapels. “The biggest complaint was that they were dark and had no ventilation,” said Verdelotti.
The planning for the upgrade took several years. After Lurgio came on as associate director in 2001, they decided to hire a consultant to come in and help with the design. They needed “a specialist in cemetery design,” said Lurgio.
Vision 3 architects, a Providence-based firm, signed on to do the project and, after six months of construction, all four chapels had received a complete overhaul from the foundations up.
The new chapels are much brighter and have a clean look. The most striking feature is a flagstone path down the center of the room that goes up the back wall and forms the background for a glass cross that is backlit and appears to glow. A large marble crucifix hangs on top of this cross; one was imported from Italy for each of the chapels. On each of the side walls there are several windows which help keep the rooms bright and airy, at the top of each window there is a pane of blue glass.
Other improvements to the chapels were more functional. Repairs were made to the foundation of the building which had suffered some termite damage. The buildings were also made handicap-accessible, with ramps and handicap bathrooms that were not a part of the design from the 1960s.
Overall the $1 million renovation, which was paid for from the diocese’s perpetual care fund, has given each of the chapels a more accessible and pleasant atmosphere. “When a family comes in and they’re leaving their loved one, this is more dignified,” said Lurgio.
Father Verdelotti added that the renovation makes the chapels “more open to the public and makes the public more aware of the Christian identity [of the cemetery].”
Father Verdelotti and Lurgio estimate that there are at least 1,500 burials per year at the cemetery, most of which involve committal ceremonies in the chapels. Each of the four chapels can hold between 150 and 200 people for the 15 minute ceremonies. Since most funerals end at around the same time in the late morning it becomes very important to have four chapels available to avoid potential gridlock and waiting for bereaved families.
Soon, one of the four chapels will be formally designated a veteran’s memorial chapel and will handle the burials of people who have served in one of the five branches of the military. The four chapels are all connected in one building that is roughly in the shape of a cross and the lawn areas between each chapel, at the corners of the cross, are scheduled to be landscaped in the coming weeks.
The new chapels are only the beginning of the cemetery renovations that Father Verdelotti has planned. He says that the chapels in all of the diocesan cemeteries are due for upgrades and will hopefully receive them in the near future. At St. Ann cemetery new mausoleums are currently under construction and are scheduled to be completed by the end of the month. Burial spaces are currently available in those new mausoleums.
The new and improved structures in the cemetery, Father Verdelotti and Lurgio hope, will make burials and committal ceremonies a more peaceful experience for the family and friends of the deceased.
“It’s never a nice time to be here, but this helps,” said Lurgio.
