Memorial Garden Policy
1. St. Andrew’s Church Memorial Garden is intended to offer a place of repose for the ashes of the deceased and a place of beauty, joy and solitude for the living. It is intended for former, present and future members of the congregation and their immediate families and will be especially appropriate for those to whom this church has had a special meaning through the years. Members are defined as people who regularly attend services and contribute to St. Andrew’s Church.
2. The initial construction of the Garden was funded by contributions from St. Andrew’s congregation as a whole. These contributions are not to be considered a reservation, commitment to use the Garden, or prepayment for being interred. The names of all contributors to the construction of the Garden have been recorded in a special Memorial Garden Book.
3. All applications for burial in the Garden, or for advance reservations, must be submitted to the Memorial Garden Committee for approval. All applications shall be granted or denied at the discretion of the Memorial Garden Committee acting within the policies as set forth by the Vestry. Upon notification of acceptance of an application, a contribution of $500. is required for burial or for an advance reservation. This contribution will cover the cost of a cast bronze plaque bearing the name and years of birth and death of the deceased and assist in the continuing upkeep of the Garden. All plaques will be of a uniform size and design and will be mounted on bronze plates on a Memorial Wall in the Garden. No other plaques will be permitted in the Garden. All burials will be recorded and filed in the church office. A record of all advance reservations will be kept in a special account. If any member of the parish wishes to place on the wall the names of family members whose ashes have previously been scattered elsewhere on Gasparilla Island, or in the waters around it, they may do so by application to the Memorial Garden Committee and payment of the burial contribution.
4. Ashes may be interred in the garden in either one of two ways; buried in the ground with a biodegradable container or scattered in the garden. The Church will keep no records of the exact location of the ashes, but a family may note the location of a burial and request that a subsequent interment be in the same area.
5. All services at which ashes are interred in the Memorial Garden shall be conducted by the Rector of St. Andrew’s Church, or by other clergy acting with the Rector’s permission or under the Rector's direction.
6. The Vestry of St. Andrew’s through it’s Memorial Garden Committee will be responsible for the establishment, interpretation and modification of all regulations governing the Memorial Garden and for the maintenance and upkeep of the Garden.