November 20, 2025 • 18 mins
This episode features a conversation with Director of Cemeteries, Andrej Lah, about the recent mausoleum deep cleaning—addressing questions from families and explaining the purpose behind this important maintenance effort.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:30):
Hello, everyone, and welcome back to CC Airwaves.
Today I am joined by Andre La,Director of Cemeteries at the
Catholic Cemeteries Association.
In October, the crypt and nichefronts in the mausoleums were
professionally cleaned at allour cemetery locations.
This was an important process toensure our sacred spaces
remained clean, safe, andrespectful.
However, we know that thiscleanup raised some questions
(00:51):
and concerns among family whovisited and decorated these
areas.
So today we're here to talk withAndre about what the mausoleum
cleanup involved and why it wasnecessary.
So, Andre, how are you doingtoday?
SPEAKER_01 (01:03):
I'm good, Paige.
How are you?
SPEAKER_00 (01:04):
I'm doing good.
It's uh really cold now.
The weather has definitely takena turn.
Uh it's about to be November15th as we record this.
So, you know.
SPEAKER_01 (01:15):
It's that time of year.
SPEAKER_00 (01:16):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (01:17):
Well, if you grew up in Northeast Ohio, this is just
par for the course.
I mean, it's just what happens.
SPEAKER_00 (01:22):
So I know.
And it's very unfortunate.
I'm not a cold weather person,but I am living in Ohio, so I
should be used to it.
SPEAKER_01 (01:29):
You you uh really never get used to it, but it's
just something you learn to livewith.
SPEAKER_00 (01:33):
All right.
So, Andre, can you tell me alittle bit more about the
mausoleum cleanups?
SPEAKER_01 (01:38):
Aaron Powell Well, you know, Paige, uh a long time
ago, uh 20 years, um it was thelast time we did a major uh
removing everything, cleaning upeverything.
I mean, what we do now is everysix months we have a crew that
comes in and they'll wipe thingsdown, they'll clean up and
they'll do what's not what's youknow what they can.
Um but the problem is that um alot of the bouquets, some of
(02:01):
them had been there since thelast cleanup 20 years ago.
So when uh when the uh the fieldguys asked me to kind of take a
look at the mausoleums, theywere pointing out a lot of these
older and and just you know umworn uh decorations than you
know, especially in the inside,there were a lot of the bouquets
that had uh bugs, and again,they're not live flowers, so but
(02:24):
uh they still there are a lot ofbugs and spiders and spider
webs, and just you know, it wasreally difficult to clean.
Um and so in July, uh earlyJuly, they asked uh if they
could begin the process of justremoving everything.
And I, you know, obviously youcan't just start to remove
things, you have to give peopletime to prepare.
(02:44):
And and I I understand theimportance of decorations to
families.
Um you know, so we wanted tomake sure that everybody had an
opportunity to come in and andpick everything up and you know,
before we did the mass cleanup.
Um I I think the way we handledit was as best as we could when
you consider the you know,750,000 people buried in our
(03:06):
cemeteries, 21 locations.
Um you know, off the top of myhead, I can't think of how many
mausoleums we have, but there'sa lot.
And uh so you know, you youstart to realize that you really
have to take your time to makesure that people have plenty of
notification because they do,they put special things on
there, they put photographs,they put mementos, they you
know, um they put cards.
(03:28):
They put rosaries.
And they put rosaries, yes.
And and so, and and rosariesthat are special.
They may have been given at aspecial event or whatever.
And and so you really have to becareful as much as possible to
ensure that you're you knowprotecting the things that
people leave behind.
As far as the silk flowers andthings are concerned, you know,
I by notifying people that theywere being removed, anything
(03:51):
that's left behind, you kind ofjust take the approach that,
well, you know, we gave peopleplenty of notice, there should
be uh they they should have beenyou know able to have the time
to remove them.
Um we certainly are not callousabout it.
We certainly understand uh theimportance of these decorations.
We understand that some of thesebouquets are are custom made,
(04:12):
they're made with love, and andso we s we you know we respect
that.
And and I don't, you know,that's I guess the thing that I
discovered when I was talking tosome people is that you know
some people felt that we werejust you know so casual about
their their decorations and thatyou know in some respects maybe
the word callous came out, andand that is the furthest thing
from the truth.
I mean, we really do you know wereally do understand how
(04:36):
important these things are.
You know, when you when a mom isvisiting her daughter's crypt,
um you know the pain that thatmom is feeling uh or the dad
visiting the child, uh a child'scrypt.
You know, I the one that comesto mind is the one at Holy
Cross, but I mean I there are somany more so many uh where
parents come and visit familymembers or children visit
(04:58):
parents and and you know it'simportant and and they um and it
it's very emotional, and I getthat.
Um and so we really tried to uhmake sure that we gave plenty of
notice.
We did the uh the newsletters,we did the email blast.
And when you have 70,000 emailson your on your website, on your
(05:19):
list, you know, you have a youyou figure you have a pretty
good shot of getting as manypeople as you can.
Um we had physical signs at thelocations and we had signs up,
we had flyers up, it was onsocial media.
Yes, it was on social media.
So I really uh I really think wetried our best to give people
plenty of notice to remove theitems.
(05:40):
And on top of that, um, youknow, in July when the guys
asked me, can we start, I I wasit was adamant that we could not
do it until um we had a coupleof months of notice.
And so that's why the noticesstarted going up at the end of
July, 1st of August, and andwe're up for two months.
And even when the guys werelooking at me at the end of
(06:00):
September, I said, absolutelynot, we cannot begin until
October 1.
And I think one location was upwas ready to get started, and I
said, absolutely not, not untilOctober 1st, because that is
what we informed our familiesof.
SPEAKER_00 (06:13):
And we really wanted to make sure that they had the
opportunity to collect whateverwas important to them.
SPEAKER_01 (06:18):
Absolutely.
I think people sometimes don'trealize or or just assume that
because we you know we removethings, that we just we we have
no feelings about it.
Where, well, we're just, youknow, or or that we're just you
know that we're being mean orwhatever.
But that's uh that's not it atall.
But you know, you have tomanage, you know, you have to
(06:38):
manage all aspects of acemetery.
And and that includes at somepoint removing decorations that
have been there for a long timeare falling apart.
And I get it, yeah, we removed alot of uh decorations that are
in good shape.
But you know, that uh peoplewant to have a clean space to go
visit their loved ones.
(07:00):
And so that was important thatwe that we really kind of went
through and did a mass cleanupand and kind of almost like
start from scratch, because wecouldn't we we tried over the
over the years to clean aroundthe decorations, but that that's
hard to do.
So at some point, yes, someonehas to make the hard decision,
(07:21):
that being me, that uh, okay,let's just do it and let's get
it done and and uh take and andI knew I was gonna take a hit.
I knew I was gonna get a lot ofcalls.
I told the staff at all ourlocations to, you know, if
anybody is um, you know,concerned or if they have uh,
you know, if they want tocomplain to somebody or if they
want to yell at somebody, umjust give them my cell phone
(07:41):
number.
And I did.
I took I took a lot of calls andI'm willing to do that because I
know how important um I I knowhow important it is for us to
maintain our cemeteries and forus to provide people with a
clean and safe uh place tovisit.
And I also understand howimportant those decorations are
to families.
And I think that that you knowfamilies should understand that
(08:02):
we really do uh respect theiruh, you know, what they what
they bring to the cemetery.
We respect uh the fact that theylove their their their you know,
they love the people that arehere and that that love
continues.
So I don't want I don't wantanybody to think somehow or
another that we're just you knowwe just don't care.
I mean that's the furthest thingfrom the truth.
SPEAKER_00 (08:24):
So in general, what is the challenge of balancing
the upkeep of the mausoleumswith the families wishes to
decorate or personalize theirloved ones uh area?
SPEAKER_01 (08:34):
Aaron Powell Well, I mean, you know, people will tape
things to the to the cryptfronts, which damages the
crypfronts.
Um they will, you know, theythen they people will put
bouquets that are oversized,which then um interferes with
their neighbor's crypt, and sothat becomes an issue.
Uh and and just, you know,you're trying to balance the
emotional connection that peoplehave with their loved ones with
(08:57):
the need to manage uh a cemeteryoperation and the daily, the you
know, the daily work that wehave to perform.
And to, you know, make sure thatburials are are performed in a
in a proper manner, make surethe buildings are in good shape,
make sure their roads areplowed, make sure that you know
things are taken care of sopeople can visit.
So you're trying to balance theemotions that people feel,
(09:19):
rightly so, uh for the lovedones that are buried here, and
the ongoing operations of a ofan active cemetery.
SPEAKER_00 (09:28):
Yep.
I remember we talked about thiswhen we were recording a video a
few months ago, which would beavailable online in a few
months, about how it's hard tobalance all of this at the same
time.
SPEAKER_01 (09:39):
So it really is.
And I mean, and and I think themost uh I think what I would
really and the reason I wantedto do this this morning was to
really let people know that, youknow, I know how important this
stuff is.
And and I know how important,you know, when you when when a
daughter a daughter spends timemaking, you know, a special
bouquets for, you know, for herparents, or or a son who builds
(10:03):
something special out of, youknow, and spends time to make
it, you know, so it's unique.
Um bec and or a father, uh, uh,you know, another son who to
looked at me and said, This iswhat my mother wanted, and I was
determined to make sure that shegot it.
And you so you do you you youreally do understand um the
importance of these items.
(10:24):
You know, most people may lookat that and say, Oh my god, it's
just a silk bouquet.
Yeah, but it was made especiallyfor that situation or for that
for that person.
And and you just, yeah, you justum that's I think that's the
most important thing.
I want people to understand thatwe we're a Catholic cemetery.
We are a ministry of theCatholic Church.
(10:45):
And and because of thatministry, we always, every
decision is made with thatministry in mind.
That you know, we understandthat emotional connection uh to
our loved ones.
And so for anyone to to believethat somehow or another we're
just we don't care is iscompletely wrong.
SPEAKER_00 (11:04):
And how has the feedback from this year changed
how we're gonna approach it inthe future?
SPEAKER_01 (11:10):
Well, I think uh you know the only thing I would do
differently is maybe uh you knowan extra month or two of
notifications.
That's all I mean.
Other than that, I think we dideverything that we possibly
could do.
Um maybe just a little bit moretime.
You know, at that moment I feltthat two months was enough.
Um because of the late the themidsummer um notif you know
conversation that I had with thefield staff, I you know, I knew
(11:33):
that we needed time to getnotices out.
And so at that point we had justover two months.
And then um on I knew thatOctober was a good month to
clean because you're still uhyou're still the temperatures,
the weather is still decent sothat you can get in there and
and really do a cleanup.
And then November 1 is thewinter decoration season, so
(11:54):
that you know at that point it'simpossible to do anything.
So you're really you know,you're really threading the
needle with regard to timing tomake sure that and and with so
many buildings, um it it tookalmost the entire month to get
them all done and and to reallydo it properly and do it well.
And when we're when I'm talkingcleaning, these guys came in
with lifts and and and andeverything to get up.
(12:18):
They the ceilings, thecrypfronts, the tops,
everything.
And and now they're they'regoing around doing the windows
because we we try to get thewindow, or they did the windows
for Cemetery Sunday.
So we truly we we really workedvery hard to to provide our
families with a you knowbeautiful cemeteries where they
(12:38):
can they can cut.
I don't I don't want familiesever be to be distracted by the
condition of the premises.
So I want them to come in, Iwant the roads to be in good
shape, I want them to be plowed,I want the grass to be cut.
Yes, I mean we we we spend anenormous amount of time and
energy on trimming headstonesand and we try to get through
them, but you know, you have350,000 approximately semiter uh
(13:02):
headstones throughout ourcemeteries, and they all have to
be trimmed.
And you know, and you you have ashort season and grass grows
rather quickly.
Uh and I I remember telling uhuh some or asking somebody one
time, if you don't trim the edgeof your driveway every time the
grass is cut, how long before itgrows over?
Because you know, people willcome in and say, You never you
never trim the headstones, younever do this, you never do.
(13:24):
Well, but we do, and we try toget through all of them at least
twice a year.
If we're lucky, we get a thirdcut.
Um and and so then you know,they can't be done every week.
They just can't be becausethere's just so many of them.
And um, and so we really uh wewe really our crews work very
hard to make sure that we takegood care of our families.
(13:47):
And you know what, and and I didget I had some really uh
wonderful phone calls that youknow the people would call, they
would of course they were upset,and I understand that.
But once I explained to themeverything, you know, I think
the the the the the general ideawas it would have been nice to
have more notice.
And so that's I think that'swhat the takeaway is.
Just a few uh uh another monthor two of of notice because you
(14:11):
know some people don't come, youknow, they don't come every
week, they don't come everymonth.
Uh some people come every day.
So you're trying to balance allthe different things, and that's
that's the other thing.
You it's just creating a balancebetween all the different types
of people that are out there.
You know, we're all very uniqueand we all have our different
ideas and thoughts, and youknow, you're trying to blend you
know, 750,000 families andtrying to make sure that your
(14:34):
rules um you know that theimpact is somewhat neutral, if
you will.
Um as Father Wright, uh who wasmy mentor and the director
before me would always say umyou know that our rules should
be in f uh it's called benignenforcement.
And I really appreciated what hemeant with that.
That we're trying to be, youknow, you're we're trying to be
(14:55):
something, you know, taking careof everybody.
And and it's hard to do, but wereally do try.
SPEAKER_00 (15:02):
But this type of mausoleum cleanup, this was for
lack of better terms, rare.
We did it maybe 20 years ago, wewon't do it again for another 20
years where we take down all thedecorations.
SPEAKER_01 (15:13):
Oh how this is uh this is I think we probably
should set a schedule thatevery, you know, every so many
years, whether it's five or tenor whatever it is, but it should
be done more frequently.
I think the reason that uh wewaited 20 years is because I
knew I knew no matter how goodof a job we did notifying
people, there were going to be apercentage that were not
(15:34):
informed and or did not get thenotice, and then I was going to
get yelled at.
Um and so I was ready for thatbecause it happened to me 20
years ago.
And I probably should have uh Ishould have taken the approach
of getting these things cleanedup um sooner.
But again, you know, you'd youdon't uh number one, I don't
want to get yelled at byfamilies because we took away
(15:56):
their decorations, but numbertwo, I completely and totally
understand the importance ofthose decorations to the
families.
SPEAKER_00 (16:04):
Is there anything else you'd like to share about
the intention behind thecleanings?
SPEAKER_01 (16:09):
You know, as far as intention, the the you know, the
intent of the cleaning was tomake sure that we removed
anything that was that bugs,spider webs, things of that
nature.
Um when I talked to the cleaningcrews, they said, yeah, there
was a lot.
So yeah, the intention was to doexactly that.
(16:30):
Create a clean and safeenvironment for our visitors and
to basically start from scratch.
Let you know, people bringing intheir new decorations and things
of that nature, and and so thatyou know there aren't any bugs
and there aren't any spider websin the new stuff.
So that was the intention wasreally to uh ensure that our
mausoleum space is safe andclean.
SPEAKER_00 (16:53):
Well, thank you very much, Andre, for providing the
clarity.
I feel like our listeners whomight have been a little bit
confused about why we did it andnow have a better understanding
on why it had to be done and whywe did it the way we did.
So I'd like to thank you fortaking the time to join us.
SPEAKER_01 (17:09):
I appreciate the time.
SPEAKER_00 (17:10):
No problem.
I love to give you a platform tospeak on.
Um and for those listening, ifyou'd like to stay informed
about future cleanups, events,and other important updates from
the Catholic cemeteries, thebest way to do so is to
subscribe to our e-newsletter.
You can do that by clicking thelink in the description below.
You can also follow us on socialmedia at Cleveland Catholic
Cemeteries.
SPEAKER_01 (17:30):
Can I add one thing, Paige?
That was one of the things thatI discovered more than anything
in my phone calls is that peoplewere not aware of our of our
website or of our newsletter,and you know, uh they weren't
told about it, whatever.
So we've uh we've started tomake sure uh make a concerted
effort uh to notify our familiesthat uh that there is a website,
there is a newsletter, and beassured we do not sell your
(17:54):
information, we do not do we wedo nothing with your email other
than it is an internal uhinternal email that we use for
our purposes.
You're not gonna get thousandsof emails a day from the
Catholic Cemeteries Association.
You'll get a newsletter once amonth and maybe some special
notifications of things that arehappening.
Um, for example, the the Moscowcleanup.
SPEAKER_00 (18:16):
Yes.
Well, thank you again, Andre,and thank you for our listeners
for tuning into CC Airwaves.
Have a great one.
Hello, everyone, and welcome back to CC Airwaves.
Today I am joined by Andre La,Director of Cemeteries at the
Catholic Cemeteries Association.
In October, the crypt and nichefronts in the mausoleums were
professionally cleaned at allour cemetery locations.
This was an important process toensure our sacred spaces
remained clean, safe, andrespectful.
However, we know that thiscleanup raised some questions
(00:51):
and concerns among family whovisited and decorated these
areas.
So today we're here to talk withAndre about what the mausoleum
cleanup involved and why it wasnecessary.
So, Andre, how are you doingtoday?
SPEAKER_01 (01:03):
I'm good, Paige.
How are you?
SPEAKER_00 (01:04):
I'm doing good.
It's uh really cold now.
The weather has definitely takena turn.
Uh it's about to be November15th as we record this.
So, you know.
SPEAKER_01 (01:15):
It's that time of year.
SPEAKER_00 (01:16):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (01:17):
Well, if you grew up in Northeast Ohio, this is just
par for the course.
I mean, it's just what happens.
SPEAKER_00 (01:22):
So I know.
And it's very unfortunate.
I'm not a cold weather person,but I am living in Ohio, so I
should be used to it.
SPEAKER_01 (01:29):
You you uh really never get used to it, but it's
just something you learn to livewith.
SPEAKER_00 (01:33):
All right.
So, Andre, can you tell me alittle bit more about the
mausoleum cleanups?
SPEAKER_01 (01:38):
Aaron Powell Well, you know, Paige, uh a long time
ago, uh 20 years, um it was thelast time we did a major uh
removing everything, cleaning upeverything.
I mean, what we do now is everysix months we have a crew that
comes in and they'll wipe thingsdown, they'll clean up and
they'll do what's not what's youknow what they can.
Um but the problem is that um alot of the bouquets, some of
(02:01):
them had been there since thelast cleanup 20 years ago.
So when uh when the uh the fieldguys asked me to kind of take a
look at the mausoleums, theywere pointing out a lot of these
older and and just you know umworn uh decorations than you
know, especially in the inside,there were a lot of the bouquets
that had uh bugs, and again,they're not live flowers, so but
(02:24):
uh they still there are a lot ofbugs and spiders and spider
webs, and just you know, it wasreally difficult to clean.
Um and so in July, uh earlyJuly, they asked uh if they
could begin the process of justremoving everything.
And I, you know, obviously youcan't just start to remove
things, you have to give peopletime to prepare.
(02:44):
And and I I understand theimportance of decorations to
families.
Um you know, so we wanted tomake sure that everybody had an
opportunity to come in and andpick everything up and you know,
before we did the mass cleanup.
Um I I think the way we handledit was as best as we could when
you consider the you know,750,000 people buried in our
(03:06):
cemeteries, 21 locations.
Um you know, off the top of myhead, I can't think of how many
mausoleums we have, but there'sa lot.
And uh so you know, you youstart to realize that you really
have to take your time to makesure that people have plenty of
notification because they do,they put special things on
there, they put photographs,they put mementos, they you
know, um they put cards.
(03:28):
They put rosaries.
And they put rosaries, yes.
And and so, and and rosariesthat are special.
They may have been given at aspecial event or whatever.
And and so you really have to becareful as much as possible to
ensure that you're you knowprotecting the things that
people leave behind.
As far as the silk flowers andthings are concerned, you know,
I by notifying people that theywere being removed, anything
(03:51):
that's left behind, you kind ofjust take the approach that,
well, you know, we gave peopleplenty of notice, there should
be uh they they should have beenyou know able to have the time
to remove them.
Um we certainly are not callousabout it.
We certainly understand uh theimportance of these decorations.
We understand that some of thesebouquets are are custom made,
(04:12):
they're made with love, and andso we s we you know we respect
that.
And and I don't, you know,that's I guess the thing that I
discovered when I was talking tosome people is that you know
some people felt that we werejust you know so casual about
their their decorations and thatyou know in some respects maybe
the word callous came out, andand that is the furthest thing
from the truth.
I mean, we really do you know wereally do understand how
(04:36):
important these things are.
You know, when you when a mom isvisiting her daughter's crypt,
um you know the pain that thatmom is feeling uh or the dad
visiting the child, uh a child'scrypt.
You know, I the one that comesto mind is the one at Holy
Cross, but I mean I there are somany more so many uh where
parents come and visit familymembers or children visit
(04:58):
parents and and you know it'simportant and and they um and it
it's very emotional, and I getthat.
Um and so we really tried to uhmake sure that we gave plenty of
notice.
We did the uh the newsletters,we did the email blast.
And when you have 70,000 emailson your on your website, on your
(05:19):
list, you know, you have a youyou figure you have a pretty
good shot of getting as manypeople as you can.
Um we had physical signs at thelocations and we had signs up,
we had flyers up, it was onsocial media.
Yes, it was on social media.
So I really uh I really think wetried our best to give people
plenty of notice to remove theitems.
(05:40):
And on top of that, um, youknow, in July when the guys
asked me, can we start, I I wasit was adamant that we could not
do it until um we had a coupleof months of notice.
And so that's why the noticesstarted going up at the end of
July, 1st of August, and andwe're up for two months.
And even when the guys werelooking at me at the end of
(06:00):
September, I said, absolutelynot, we cannot begin until
October 1.
And I think one location was upwas ready to get started, and I
said, absolutely not, not untilOctober 1st, because that is
what we informed our familiesof.
SPEAKER_00 (06:13):
And we really wanted to make sure that they had the
opportunity to collect whateverwas important to them.
SPEAKER_01 (06:18):
Absolutely.
I think people sometimes don'trealize or or just assume that
because we you know we removethings, that we just we we have
no feelings about it.
Where, well, we're just, youknow, or or that we're just you
know that we're being mean orwhatever.
But that's uh that's not it atall.
But you know, you have tomanage, you know, you have to
(06:38):
manage all aspects of acemetery.
And and that includes at somepoint removing decorations that
have been there for a long timeare falling apart.
And I get it, yeah, we removed alot of uh decorations that are
in good shape.
But you know, that uh peoplewant to have a clean space to go
visit their loved ones.
(07:00):
And so that was important thatwe that we really kind of went
through and did a mass cleanupand and kind of almost like
start from scratch, because wecouldn't we we tried over the
over the years to clean aroundthe decorations, but that that's
hard to do.
So at some point, yes, someonehas to make the hard decision,
(07:21):
that being me, that uh, okay,let's just do it and let's get
it done and and uh take and andI knew I was gonna take a hit.
I knew I was gonna get a lot ofcalls.
I told the staff at all ourlocations to, you know, if
anybody is um, you know,concerned or if they have uh,
you know, if they want tocomplain to somebody or if they
want to yell at somebody, umjust give them my cell phone
(07:41):
number.
And I did.
I took I took a lot of calls andI'm willing to do that because I
know how important um I I knowhow important it is for us to
maintain our cemeteries and forus to provide people with a
clean and safe uh place tovisit.
And I also understand howimportant those decorations are
to families.
And I think that that you knowfamilies should understand that
(08:02):
we really do uh respect theiruh, you know, what they what
they bring to the cemetery.
We respect uh the fact that theylove their their their you know,
they love the people that arehere and that that love
continues.
So I don't want I don't wantanybody to think somehow or
another that we're just you knowwe just don't care.
I mean that's the furthest thingfrom the truth.
SPEAKER_00 (08:24):
So in general, what is the challenge of balancing
the upkeep of the mausoleumswith the families wishes to
decorate or personalize theirloved ones uh area?
SPEAKER_01 (08:34):
Aaron Powell Well, I mean, you know, people will tape
things to the to the cryptfronts, which damages the
crypfronts.
Um they will, you know, theythen they people will put
bouquets that are oversized,which then um interferes with
their neighbor's crypt, and sothat becomes an issue.
Uh and and just, you know,you're trying to balance the
emotional connection that peoplehave with their loved ones with
(08:57):
the need to manage uh a cemeteryoperation and the daily, the you
know, the daily work that wehave to perform.
And to, you know, make sure thatburials are are performed in a
in a proper manner, make surethe buildings are in good shape,
make sure their roads areplowed, make sure that you know
things are taken care of sopeople can visit.
So you're trying to balance theemotions that people feel,
(09:19):
rightly so, uh for the lovedones that are buried here, and
the ongoing operations of a ofan active cemetery.
SPEAKER_00 (09:28):
Yep.
I remember we talked about thiswhen we were recording a video a
few months ago, which would beavailable online in a few
months, about how it's hard tobalance all of this at the same
time.
SPEAKER_01 (09:39):
So it really is.
And I mean, and and I think themost uh I think what I would
really and the reason I wantedto do this this morning was to
really let people know that, youknow, I know how important this
stuff is.
And and I know how important,you know, when you when when a
daughter a daughter spends timemaking, you know, a special
bouquets for, you know, for herparents, or or a son who builds
(10:03):
something special out of, youknow, and spends time to make
it, you know, so it's unique.
Um bec and or a father, uh, uh,you know, another son who to
looked at me and said, This iswhat my mother wanted, and I was
determined to make sure that shegot it.
And you so you do you you youreally do understand um the
importance of these items.
(10:24):
You know, most people may lookat that and say, Oh my god, it's
just a silk bouquet.
Yeah, but it was made especiallyfor that situation or for that
for that person.
And and you just, yeah, you justum that's I think that's the
most important thing.
I want people to understand thatwe we're a Catholic cemetery.
We are a ministry of theCatholic Church.
(10:45):
And and because of thatministry, we always, every
decision is made with thatministry in mind.
That you know, we understandthat emotional connection uh to
our loved ones.
And so for anyone to to believethat somehow or another we're
just we don't care is iscompletely wrong.
SPEAKER_00 (11:04):
And how has the feedback from this year changed
how we're gonna approach it inthe future?
SPEAKER_01 (11:10):
Well, I think uh you know the only thing I would do
differently is maybe uh you knowan extra month or two of
notifications.
That's all I mean.
Other than that, I think we dideverything that we possibly
could do.
Um maybe just a little bit moretime.
You know, at that moment I feltthat two months was enough.
Um because of the late the themidsummer um notif you know
conversation that I had with thefield staff, I you know, I knew
(11:33):
that we needed time to getnotices out.
And so at that point we had justover two months.
And then um on I knew thatOctober was a good month to
clean because you're still uhyou're still the temperatures,
the weather is still decent sothat you can get in there and
and really do a cleanup.
And then November 1 is thewinter decoration season, so
(11:54):
that you know at that point it'simpossible to do anything.
So you're really you know,you're really threading the
needle with regard to timing tomake sure that and and with so
many buildings, um it it tookalmost the entire month to get
them all done and and to reallydo it properly and do it well.
And when we're when I'm talkingcleaning, these guys came in
with lifts and and and andeverything to get up.
(12:18):
They the ceilings, thecrypfronts, the tops,
everything.
And and now they're they'regoing around doing the windows
because we we try to get thewindow, or they did the windows
for Cemetery Sunday.
So we truly we we really workedvery hard to to provide our
families with a you knowbeautiful cemeteries where they
(12:38):
can they can cut.
I don't I don't want familiesever be to be distracted by the
condition of the premises.
So I want them to come in, Iwant the roads to be in good
shape, I want them to be plowed,I want the grass to be cut.
Yes, I mean we we we spend anenormous amount of time and
energy on trimming headstonesand and we try to get through
them, but you know, you have350,000 approximately semiter uh
(13:02):
headstones throughout ourcemeteries, and they all have to
be trimmed.
And you know, and you you have ashort season and grass grows
rather quickly.
Uh and I I remember telling uhuh some or asking somebody one
time, if you don't trim the edgeof your driveway every time the
grass is cut, how long before itgrows over?
Because you know, people willcome in and say, You never you
never trim the headstones, younever do this, you never do.
(13:24):
Well, but we do, and we try toget through all of them at least
twice a year.
If we're lucky, we get a thirdcut.
Um and and so then you know,they can't be done every week.
They just can't be becausethere's just so many of them.
And um, and so we really uh wewe really our crews work very
hard to make sure that we takegood care of our families.
(13:47):
And you know what, and and I didget I had some really uh
wonderful phone calls that youknow the people would call, they
would of course they were upset,and I understand that.
But once I explained to themeverything, you know, I think
the the the the the general ideawas it would have been nice to
have more notice.
And so that's I think that'swhat the takeaway is.
Just a few uh uh another monthor two of of notice because you
(14:11):
know some people don't come, youknow, they don't come every
week, they don't come everymonth.
Uh some people come every day.
So you're trying to balance allthe different things, and that's
that's the other thing.
You it's just creating a balancebetween all the different types
of people that are out there.
You know, we're all very uniqueand we all have our different
ideas and thoughts, and youknow, you're trying to blend you
know, 750,000 families andtrying to make sure that your
(14:34):
rules um you know that theimpact is somewhat neutral, if
you will.
Um as Father Wright, uh who wasmy mentor and the director
before me would always say umyou know that our rules should
be in f uh it's called benignenforcement.
And I really appreciated what hemeant with that.
That we're trying to be, youknow, you're we're trying to be
(14:55):
something, you know, taking careof everybody.
And and it's hard to do, but wereally do try.
SPEAKER_00 (15:02):
But this type of mausoleum cleanup, this was for
lack of better terms, rare.
We did it maybe 20 years ago, wewon't do it again for another 20
years where we take down all thedecorations.
SPEAKER_01 (15:13):
Oh how this is uh this is I think we probably
should set a schedule thatevery, you know, every so many
years, whether it's five or tenor whatever it is, but it should
be done more frequently.
I think the reason that uh wewaited 20 years is because I
knew I knew no matter how goodof a job we did notifying
people, there were going to be apercentage that were not
(15:34):
informed and or did not get thenotice, and then I was going to
get yelled at.
Um and so I was ready for thatbecause it happened to me 20
years ago.
And I probably should have uh Ishould have taken the approach
of getting these things cleanedup um sooner.
But again, you know, you'd youdon't uh number one, I don't
want to get yelled at byfamilies because we took away
(15:56):
their decorations, but numbertwo, I completely and totally
understand the importance ofthose decorations to the
families.
SPEAKER_00 (16:04):
Is there anything else you'd like to share about
the intention behind thecleanings?
SPEAKER_01 (16:09):
You know, as far as intention, the the you know, the
intent of the cleaning was tomake sure that we removed
anything that was that bugs,spider webs, things of that
nature.
Um when I talked to the cleaningcrews, they said, yeah, there
was a lot.
So yeah, the intention was to doexactly that.
(16:30):
Create a clean and safeenvironment for our visitors and
to basically start from scratch.
Let you know, people bringing intheir new decorations and things
of that nature, and and so thatyou know there aren't any bugs
and there aren't any spider websin the new stuff.
So that was the intention wasreally to uh ensure that our
mausoleum space is safe andclean.
SPEAKER_00 (16:53):
Well, thank you very much, Andre, for providing the
clarity.
I feel like our listeners whomight have been a little bit
confused about why we did it andnow have a better understanding
on why it had to be done and whywe did it the way we did.
So I'd like to thank you fortaking the time to join us.
SPEAKER_01 (17:09):
I appreciate the time.
SPEAKER_00 (17:10):
No problem.
I love to give you a platform tospeak on.
Um and for those listening, ifyou'd like to stay informed
about future cleanups, events,and other important updates from
the Catholic cemeteries, thebest way to do so is to
subscribe to our e-newsletter.
You can do that by clicking thelink in the description below.
You can also follow us on socialmedia at Cleveland Catholic
Cemeteries.
SPEAKER_01 (17:30):
Can I add one thing, Paige?
That was one of the things thatI discovered more than anything
in my phone calls is that peoplewere not aware of our of our
website or of our newsletter,and you know, uh they weren't
told about it, whatever.
So we've uh we've started tomake sure uh make a concerted
effort uh to notify our familiesthat uh that there is a website,
there is a newsletter, and beassured we do not sell your
(17:54):
information, we do not do we wedo nothing with your email other
than it is an internal uhinternal email that we use for
our purposes.
You're not gonna get thousandsof emails a day from the
Catholic Cemeteries Association.
You'll get a newsletter once amonth and maybe some special
notifications of things that arehappening.
Um, for example, the the Moscowcleanup.
SPEAKER_00 (18:16):
Yes.
Well, thank you again, Andre,and thank you for our listeners
for tuning into CC Airwaves.
Have a great one.
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