Cemetery & Funeral Glossary of Terms

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Ashes

The “cremated remains” of a body are commonly known as “ashes” but are actually finely processed bone fragments.
 

Burial

Placing a body or cremated remains in the ground, in a lot or grave.
 

Burial Permit

A legal document issued from local municipality authorizing a burial or cremation.
 

By-laws

The rules and regulations under which the Cemetery operates.
 

Care and Maintenance Fund

Under Ontario law, when an internment right is sold, a percentage of the purchase price is set aside for the general care and maintenance of the cemetery.
 

Casket

A container designed to hold a body for burial, entombment or cremation. Usually made of wood, metal or fibre board.
 

Cemetery

An area of land reserved exclusively for burial of the deceased.
 

Columbarium

A structure with individual compartments, or “niches,” designed to hold cremated remains.
 

Coroner

A medical doctor who certifies and/or investigates an individual’s death.
 

Cremated Remains

Commonly known as “ashes”, but they are the finely processed bone fragments left after cremation.
 

Cremation

A process where the body, held in a cremation container, is placed into a cremation chamber and heat is applied, leaving behind the cremated remains.
 

Cremation Burial Plot

A small area used to bury an urn holding cremated remains. 
 

Cremation Urn

A container used to hold cremated remains after cremation.
 

Crematorium

A place where the cremation takes place.
 

Crypt

An individual space in a Mausoleum in which human remains are placed.
 

Death Certificate

A legal document signed by the attending physician showing the cause of death as well as other information about the deceased.
 

Entombment

Placing a casket in a crypt or placing an urn containing cremated remains into a niche.
 

Grave

A place of burial in the ground for the deceased, which is normally memorialized by a flat or upright granite or bronze marker.
 

Inscription

Words inscribed on a monument or marker, crypt or niche front.
 

Interment Right

The right to determine who can be buried or entombed in a grave, lot, niche or crypt, and what the memorialization may be.
 

Interment Rights Certificate

A document issued by the cemetery when interment rights have been paid in full. It specifies the owner of the interment rights, location, memorialization options, type and number of interments.
 

Interment Rights Holder

A person holding the right to determine the burial or removal of the deceased, and to direct the memorialization.
 

Lot

A lot may have more than one grave within it; see “Grave.”
 

Marker

A bronze or granite memorial, set flush and level with the ground in the marker space.
 

Marker Space

Unless otherwise specified on the interment rights certificate, a marker space is the area designated to place a grave marker.
 

Mausoleum

A structure or building designed with individual compartments, or “crypts,” where caskets are placed for entombment.
 

Memorial

A marker, monument, columbarium niche front, mausoleum crypt front, or any other form used to inscribe the names of individuals buried or entombed within the cemetery.
 

Monument

An above-ground memorial, made of granite, placed upright within the designated monument space of a lot.
 

Monument Base

Made of granite, the monument base sits on the monument’s concrete foundation to stabilize and protect the monument diestone.
 

Monument Diestone

The diestone contains the design and memorial inscription and is set on the monument base.
 

Monument Foundation

A concrete foundation matches the footprint of the monument base and is set in the ground.
 

Monument Space

An area of a lot designated to hold the monument.
 

Niche

A compartment in a mausoleum or columbarium designed to place an urn holding cremated remains.
 

Pre-Planning

Funeral and/or cemetery arrangements completed by someone prior to death.
 

Scattering

The division or separation of ashes.  In accordance with our Catholic faith, scattering is not permitted.
 

Section

An area within a cemetery containing many graves or lots to make them easier to locate (e.g., Section B, Lot 450).
 

Urn

A container used to hold ashes after cremation; see “Cremation Urn.”
 

Vault

A grave liner made from concrete or metal and lowered into a grave to protect the casket from the elements.