A columbarium is a consecrated space providing a place on the property of the church for the preservation of ashes or cremated remains of those associated with the church who wish to have a permanent alternative to the traditional cemetery or mausoleum after death. Increasingly churches are incorporating a columbarium into their ministry, affording church members and their families the opportunity to select their final resting place at a sacred site at the church which has been central to their lives. Columbaria have been established in several nearby churches in York County and churches in our Presbytery including: Grace Episcopal, St. Joan of Arc Catholic, St. Mark Lutheran, Bayside Presbyterian in Virginia Beach, St. Andrews Presbyterian in Suffolk and Williamsburg Presbyterian.

Although cemeteries are commonly found in older churchyards, zoning regulations generally forbid or make it impractical to establish a church cemetery today. The church is permitted by right to establish a columbarium but not a repository for deceased bodies. A columbarium consists of niches that hold urns containing cremated remains; cover plates can be inscribed with the names and dates of birth and death of the deceased. A columbarium can be inside or outside the church building. An external columbarium can be incorporated within a garden setting, a site of beauty and dignity where loved ones can visit and mediate at any time they visit the church.

Previous efforts by a subcommittee of Campus Improvements regarding a prayer garden and columbarium have lain fallow for a time. In a renewed effort to consider creation of a prayer garden and establish a columbarium ministry at Yorkminster, Session has appointed a committee to research the issues and recommend a course of action. Committee members are Dennis Dicus, Chair; Marilyn Adams, Charlene Diggs, Jim Haskett and Leo Weisz. Note that a columbarium ministry would be self-financed and sustained by user fees, not by the church operating budget. Before committing any resources toward planning or design, the Committee has been tasked to assess congregational sentiment regarding a columbarium at our church. The Committee Members are delighted to answer questions or hear your thoughts.

For four weeks in April and May 2010, we invited people to participate in a simple survey (it was closed on May 21, 2010).

If you are interested and want to learn more about this topic and the possibility of a columbarium as a ministry at Yorkminster please look at the frequently-asked questions (FAQ), or visit one or more of the websites listed on this page.

An archived report of the original 2007 subcommittee to the Session is still available.

Your comments are welcomed; please contact the Prayer Garden Subcommittee member of your choice or leave a note in the church office for the committee.