Major vandalism rare in cemeteries, theft upsetting to visitors

BY BILL DOYLE
CFP CORRESPONDENT
James Brasco, director of cemeteries for the Diocese of Worcester, realizes that vandalism or theft from a gravesite is devastating for the loved ones of the deceased.
“It’s extremely traumatic to them,” he said. “They feel that the grave has been, I wouldn’t go as far as to say desecrated, but it’s been disturbed.
Mr. Brasco, 54, of Northborough, oversees 14 cemeteries for the diocese. In addition, several parishes have their own.
Ten years ago at St. John’s Cemetery, profane words were painted in red on graves and there was writing on the cemetery streets referring to such events as the Boston Marathon bombings and tensions in North Korea. Mr. Brasco said he hasn’t seen anything like that since he became director of the diocesan cemeteries last year after serving the previous four as director of sales and marketing for the Archdiocese of Boston’s 25 cemeteries.
“Thankfully, major issues of vandalism are rare,” he said.
On the other hand, Mr. Brasco said his cemetery office receives calls daily about missing flowers, angel statues and baskets hung from shepherd hooks.
“Most of them are small knickknack items,” he said, “that could be blown away, that could be walked away by an animal that picks it up and walks away with it. To prove that it’s any type of malicious vandalism is tough. Things do go missing, but it’s very limited.”
However limited it is, Mr. Brasco understands that it is upsetting.
“These are sentimental things,” he said.
Flowers planted by loved ones are occasionally accidentally run over by a mower or trimmer by a maintenance worker.
“Thankfully it’s not common,” he said, “but it’s not unheard of and it’s not vandalism. It’s just an unfortunate accident.”
The mausoleums at St. John’s and Notre Dame are alarmed and monitored by a security company, but the diocesan cemeteries are not. Even if someone is seen removing flowers from a gravesite, Mr. Brasco said there is no way for the cemetery staff to know if the person is a family member or a thief.
Mr. Brasco said people bring floral baskets or flowers to most of the gravestones at St. John’s and Notre Dame.
“I’m very impressed by the activity at our cemeteries,” he said.
“It’s heartwarming to see how many people come out to the cemeteries,” he said.
Mr. Brasco said about 400 burials take place at St. John’s each year. The first took place in the 1840s.
St. John’s has 160 acres of grave space; about 40 acres are available. Mr. Brasco said those 40 acres could take 20-25 years to fill up with graves.
Although vandalism hasn’t been a major problem in the Worcester Diocese, it does exist elsewhere. When graves are vandalized, a police report is filed and the stones are sandblasted by the cemetery staff or a monument company. Some homeowners insurance policies cover the costs.
“You see it every night on the news,” Mr. Brasco said. “At different cemeteries, they go in and kick over stones and so forth. As tough as that is, usually the stones are not damaged. You can upright the stones. It’s insulting, it’s terrible, but it’s something that we can get fixed relatively quickly.”
“I enjoy working in this diocese,” he said. “You see people actively visiting. People seem to still really care for their loved ones that they’ve trusted us with. That’s a wonderful thing to see.”
Mr. Brasco visits most of the diocesan cemeteries weekly and he said St. Brigid in Millbury and St. Philip in Grafton are also quite busy with visitors.

THEFT AT ST. LEO'S

Father William E. Champlin, pastor at St. Leo Parish in Leominster, said theft has been more of a problem than usual this year at St. Leo Cemetery.
“It seems like the issue has escalated,” Father Champlin said.
“Even things that have been planted in the ground have been dug up in a couple of instances that I’m aware of,” Father Champlin said.
A woman requested that lighting and security cameras be installed at St. Leo Cemetery after potted flowers and planted flowers were stolen from her mother’s gravesite.
“To put cameras and lights in,” Father Champlin said, “is exorbitantly expensive and I’m not really sure what that would do in the long run.”
Police in Wilmington installed a security camera in a cemetery after flowers, crosses and photos were stolen, but then the camera was stolen.
Father Champlin said he’s instructed people to report thefts to the police.
Even if the cemetery staff witnessed someone digging up flowers, Father Champlin said there was no way to know if they were “the rightful owners” or not.
“You start asking people questions,” Father Champlin said, “and if they’re people who own the plot and they belong there, sometimes we get nasty responses from the people, ‘None of your business,’ and a lot of times they’re saying it a lot less nicely than that. There are really no easy answers there.”
Father Champlin said Msgr. Richard F. Reidy, vicar general of the diocese, was made aware of the stolen flowers. The two discussed the problem and Father Champlin asked the Leominster police to increase patrols of the cemetery.
Father Champlin said he and his staff understand that loved ones feel violated by the thefts from such a sacred place.
“We indicate that we’re sorry that [it] is happening,” Father Champlin said, “and that it’s a pretty low act for someone to be stealing something from a grave.”
A staff member at St. Cecilia Parish in Leominster said theft has not been a problem and that their cemetery remains very active with about 80 or 90 burials a year and frequent visitors.
Father Grzegorz Chodkowski, pastor at St. Joseph Parish in Webster, said he wasn’t aware of any incidents of theft or vandalism at the St. Joseph Cemetery.
Father Chodkowski said about 50-60 burials take place each year.
He’s also seen people drive through the cemetery and pause by the gravesite of their loved one before leaving. Either way, he knows that visiting the cemetery helps bring them peace.