The Most Reverend Monsignor Dennis O'Donovan

Director of Cemeteries to retire after 13 years of service

The staff at your Catholic Cemeteries asks you to join us in thanking Monsignor Dennis O’Donovan for his years of service and offer congratulations on his upcoming retirement. Monsignor was appointed Vicar General as well as Director of Cemeteries of the Archdiocese in 2000. Before that, Monsignor O’Donovan served as a parish pastor in Forest Grove, Albany, Beaverton and Redland. We are truly blessed to have had his managerial wisdom and pastoral guidance over the last 13 years. Those of you who attended our quarterly masses at the cemeteries have had the fortune to hear Monsignor’s wonderful homilies and words of comfort. He will be very much missed by each and every one of us at Mt. Calvary and Gethsemani.

Summer Cemetery Hours

Your Catholic Cemeteries summer hours are as follows: The grounds will open at 9:00 a.m and close at 6:00 p.m. Office hours remain 9:00 a.m until 4:00 p.m Monday through Friday.

Mt. Calvary’s indoor mausoleum and north side gates will be locked after hours. Visitors are welcome to accessible areas until dusk.
Visitors at Gethsemani may enter the pedestrian gate on either side of the entrance after hours but will be requested to leave at dusk.

St. Timothy Construction has been completed

New lawn crypt area adjacent to the outdoor mausoleum.

Construction on a new section named after St. Timothy. is complete. This new section includes 60 single lawn crypts and 240 double depth lawn crypts (space for two). St. Timothy overlooks Mt. Hood and is located in the lawn adjacent to the outdoor mausoleum on the north side of the Cemetery. This is the first time since 1991 that Mt. Calvary has developed a new section that will include single side by side graves.

For more information on lawn crypts and other traditional burial options go to our page on Traditional Interment Options and Pricing or call the Mt. Calvary office at (503)292-6621.

Honor a Saint and a Loved One

Signage sponsorship program

The lawn sections at Mt. Calvary were historically named using letters of the alphabet as each section was developed, with section “A” being the first section developed and Section W being one of the more recent. Sections at Gethsemani were simply numbered in the order of their development. The naming practices were changed in the early 90’s, and new sections in our Catholic Cemeteries were more aptly named after Saints. The use of Saint names is more personal and memorable for the families served by our Catholic Cemeteries.

Your Catholic Cemeteries are now endeavoring to rename each of our older sections after a Saint and develop signage identifying each section by its new name along with a cross-reference to the previous letter or numerical name.

We are hoping that as many as 40 permanent granite signs will be erected on our grounds in the next three to five years. The project is quite an undertaking and will require significant labor and financial resources. To help offset the estimated cost of over $30,000, we have developed a unique way to contribute. While any level of donation is greatly appreciated, a contribution of $750 brings full sponsorship of a section sign and we will add an inscription “In Memory of” your loved on the back side of the sign. Since we are a non-profit organization, these donations may be tax deductible. If you are interested, please contact the office at Mt. Calvary at (503) 292-6621 or Gethsemani at (503) 659-1350. Please keep in mind that there are a limited number of signs in each section so the opportunity to sponsor a sign will be on a first–come, first-served basis.

Mt. Calvary Opens New Green Burial Section

St. Francis section is environmentally friendly

The new St. Francis green burial section is now open with 120-grave spaces.

Green burial is an environmentally sensitive burial option that allows for the natural decomposition of the body that requires the use of sustainable, natural products for caskets such as wood, bamboo, and sea grass. The practice eliminates or drastically reduces the use of non-natural products such as embalming fluid, steel, copper, bronze and concrete typically used in traditional in-ground burials.

Rather than maintaining a typical, high maintenance setting with grass, paths and roads, the area will be re-forested as interments are made. Ultimately, the section will become a forested area that is maintained only by removal of non-native plant species. The gravel access path will be removed as interments are made. The St. Francis area will not offer traditional visitation to each grave but will instead offer an area for memorialization, reflection and prayer that overlooks the forest.

For more information visit the green burial page of our website or contact one of our counselors at 503-292-6621.

We have updated our Decisions and Options page

Your Catholic Cemeteries have updated their "Decisions and Options"page. Your Catholic Cemeteries often receive phone calls asking for prices and information. It can be confusing and overwhelming when we provide families with a comprehensive price list that includes all of our options, service fees and products. The new "Decisions and Options" page is intended to provide more user friendly information on the range of options and decisions involved with both cremation and traditional interments. The pages also includes price ranges for property, related service charges and commodities. Senior Counselor Angela Nelson said that the new webpages "have been very helpful in preparing families for what to expect when pre-planning their own arrangements or in helping them understand what is involved in making arrangements for a family member."