Administration
The use and maintenance of the Memorial Garden of Eliot Unitarian Universalist Chapel is the responsibility of the Board of Trustees of Eliot Chapel. Policy, procedures, and administration of the Memorial Garden shall be handled by the Memorial Garden Committee subject to the approval of the Board of Trustees.
These terms and conditions of use may be changed and additional rules and regulations relating to the use, appearance, maintenance, charges, improvement and perpetuation of the Garden may be adopted from time to time. Any proposed additions to, or changes in, the Memorial Garden shall be decided by the Memorial Garden Committee in conjunction with the Board of Trustees. Changes may even include the arrangement and location of the Memorial Garden and its memorial structures whenever such change, relocation, or even dissolution may be deemed to be desirable.
Eligibility
Persons who are eligible to be memorialized in the Eliot Chapel Memorial Garden are: deceased members and friends of the Chapel, their deceased spouses, their deceased parents and their deceased children. There is no limit on the elapsed time between the date of death and the date when the person is memorialized.
Fees and Contributions
A fee, payable to Eliot Chapel, will be required for each person whose remains are interred in the Garden, or whose name and dates are inscribed in a permanent way. The amount of such fee shall be determined from time to time by the Memorial Garden Committee. By paying the required fee to Eliot Chapel, the name and dates of birth and death of a person who is eligible to have his or her remains interred in the Memorial Garden may be engraved on a plaque, or other record, irrespective of whether the remains of such person are actually interred there. If the family of a person whose remains are interred in the Garden so requests, no memorial will be inscribed.
A Certificate of Memorial will be issued by Eliot Chapel for each person for whom the required fee is paid. This certificate will constitute the agreement by Eliot Chapel to preserve the memory of the named individual in the Memorial Garden for as long as the garden remains an entity of Eliot Chapel.
A Certificate of Memorial may also be issued for a person in exchange for an advance, non-refundable contribution to the Memorial Garden Fund of an amount determined by the Memorial Garden Committee. The rights and privileges granted by this Certificate of Memorial may be assigned to another individual who is eligible to have his or her remains interred in the Garden.
Contributions to the Memorial Garden shall be used for construction and maintenance of the Garden, engraving of names, and to provide for fee waivers for persons unable to pay the usual fee.
Any question concerning the contribution for interment privilege being deductible for income tax purposes should be referred to the donor’s tax advisor.
Process
Arrangements for interment or any memorial service should be made through the church office.
The cremated remains of individuals who are to be interred in the Memorial Garden shall be delivered to the care of the Eliot Chapel Business Administrator in a biodegradable container. The interment shall be made by a minister or a member of the Memorial Garden Committee at such time and under such circumstances as may be agreeable to the family of the decedent. The cost of cremation and delivery of the ashes to the Church is the responsibility of the family.
Memorials
Within a reasonable period following interment, the name and years of birth and death of the person whose remains are interred in the Garden will be engraved on a plaque (or other means of record to be determined by the Church). The cost of such engraving shall be paid for by Eliot Chapel. The style, design, location and maintenance of these engravings shall be determined by Eliot Chapel. Names and dates on the memorial structure shall be engraved in the order of deaths. No title, such as Dr. or Rev. shall be used. No individual memorial structures (sculptures, benches, fountains, etc.) will be allowed.
A Memorial Garden Book shall be maintained in the Eliot Chapel Library to record the name, dates of birth, death and interment, and the location of dates of birth and death on any memorial structure in the Memorial Garden. The Memorial Garden Book will also have a page dedicated to each memorialized person. On each person's page, the family or other loved ones are encouraged to provide photos, brief biography, or other artifacts in memory of the deceased.
The location of ashes will be recorded by the Memorial Garden Committee. No markings will be made in the garden itself for the location of ashes. The Memorial Garden Committee will set up a grid pattern for the placement of ashes. Locations within the grid pattern will be used in order of the dates of memorials. No specific space for ashes will be reserved.
July 26, 2002