Spirit of Living Water Now Open

Calvary Cemetery’s New Garden Memorializes Those Who Choose Cremation

The Board of Trustees of the Calvary Cemetery Association has built a new garden to accommodate increasing requests for cremation inurnment and memorialization. The Catholic Church has allowed cremations since the early 1960’s, and the alternative is becoming a more popular choice among members of the Baby Boomer generation, according to statistics from the Catholic Cemetery Association.

“This is the result of six years of planning,” says Board President, Harry Finke, who conceived the overall design concept, location and layout of the new development. Finke has been Board President for 44 years.  He also worked with Calvary Superintendent Rick Meade on research of materials. Their investigation involved a trip to Minnesota to visit Cold Springs Granite to inspect new technology used in aluminum inner structures of memorial walls, types of stone and renderings of the four Gospel Writers on the exterior walls.  Dayton Architect Tom Wurst realized the plans for the gazebo and memorial walls, benches and planters.  The new section features a bubbling rock fountain and a natural looking stream with two waterfalls, giving the new site its name “Spirit of Living Water.”

“Cremations represent about 20 percent of our total interments now, “ reports Board member John Ferneding , ”we have been working with the Long Term Planning Committee to provide more options for our families who want cremation niches. We also wanted to take advantage of an area of our grounds where traditional ground burials were not ideal; this is a beautiful spot for the gazebo and water feature and it is good strategic land use. ” The new structure will accommodate more than 1300 inurnments.

“We also like the spiritual aspects of water”, Ferneding continues. “There are many references to Water as a symbol of Life throughout both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. Water is a basic element symbolizing healing and purification in many world religions as well. Aesthetically, the look and sound of a natural spring is comforting and helps to create a pleasant place for meditation and reflection.”

About Calvary Cemetery

Founded in 1872, Calvary was designed as a Victorian Garden cemetery, with beautifully terraced hillsides along the Moraine ridge in Kettering. Overlooking Carillon Park and the University of Dayton, Calvary today is 200 acres of scenic landscape, classic art and historic statuary.  At the center is St. Henry’s Chapel, designed by Frank Andrews (who also designed the Dayton Arcade), dedicated in 1902 to the thousands of souls whose remains re-interred here when St Henry’s cemetery closed in 1875. St Henry’s was the original Catholic grave yard founded in 1844. At this time, more than 75,000 Daytonians rest here.

For more information contact Rick Meade, Superintendent, 937-293-1221 or rickm@ccadayton.org