Cemetery of the Holy Rood

Cemetery in Westbury, Nassau County, New York

The Cemetery of the Holy Rood is a Catholic cemetery located in Westbury, New York. The 65-acre (0.26 km²) cemetery, established in 1930, is part of the Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre.

History

The oldest part of the cemetery was originally the burial grounds of Saint Brigid's Cemetery (formerly a part of Saint Brigid's Roman Catholic Church), a cemetery founded in 1856 that was eventually absorbed into the assets-management of Cemetery of the Holy Rood or Catholic Cemeteries.^[1]^[2]

In the 1930s, the then-Diocese of Brooklyn established a 65-acre (260,000 m²) cemetery named for the Holy Rood. The grounds of the cemetery are considered part of the greater Hempstead Plains. In 1956, with the creation of the Diocese of Rockville Centre, Holy Rood Cemetery's jurisdiction was transferred to the newly formed diocese.^[1]

In 1998, the Diocese of Rockville Centre caused a certain amount of controversy when it announced that mementos and toys could no longer be left on children's graves. Even though leaving such items on graves was always in violation of cemetery rules, officials had previously turned a blind eye to the practice in the children's section.^[3]

On March 1, 2016 the Diocese created a new corporation, Catholic Cemeteries of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre, Inc. On September 1, 2017 the assets of the former corporation were delivered to the new corporation along with the staff members entering the corporation on January 1, 2018. In February 2018 the newly formed corporation received its first appointed President Richard Bie.

The Island of Hope

The cemetery contains a triangular grassy area called "The Island of Hope" for the burials of abandoned babies, nearly all of whom are the victims of neonaticide. It is owned by the Children of Hope Foundation, founded by Tim Jaccard, an ambulance medical technician with the Nassau County Police, to pay for funerals and marked graves for abandoned babies and children. As of 2007, 88 children were buried there.^[4]^[5]

Notable burials

Billy Murray, singer (1877–1954)
Licia Albanese (1909–2014), Italian-born American operatic soprano
Frank X. Altimari (1928-1998), Federal Judge
Carl Braun, New York Knicks, professional basketball player (d. 2010)
James Joseph Brown, mining engineer
"Unsinkable Molly" Brown, survivor of the RMS Titanic sinking and estranged wife of James Joseph Brown^[6]
William J. Casey, former Director of Central Intelligence^[6]
Oleg Cassini, fashion designer
Bob Chipman, Major League Baseball player
Don Dunphy, boxing announcer
Peter J. Ganci, Jr., FDNY Chief of Department (d. 9/11/2001 †)
Tom Gorman, Major League Baseball pitcher
Monsignor Thomas Hartman, (1946–2016), Roman Catholic Priest, Founder, President & CEO Telecare, author
Max Hirsch (1880–1969), American Hall of Fame racehorse trainer
William J. Hirsch (1909–1997), American Hall of Fame racehorse trainer
George C. Lang (1947–2005), Medal of Honor recipient
Joseph Lannin, former owner of the Boston Red Sox
Frank McCormick, (1911–1982), Major League Baseball player
Jay Monahan, television personality, husband of TV host Katie Couric
Cliff Montgomery, American football player (d. 4/21/2005)
Orio Palmer, FDNY firefighter (d. 9/11/2001 †)
John Serry, (1915–2003), Italian-American musician and composer
George M. Skurla, (1921–2001), aeronautical engineer, President Grumman Corporation
Terig Tucci, composer and musician
John W. Wydler, (1918–1955) member of the United States House of Representatives
Sam Zoldak, (1918–1966), Major League Baseball player
Andy Varipapa, professional bowler (1891-1984)

References

^ ^a ^b Richard Panchyk, History of Westbury, Long Island, The History Press, 2007, p. 133. ISBN 159629213X
^ "The cemeteries in our diocese: Holy Rood Cemetery". The Tablet. 1953-10-31. p. 73. Retrieved 2021-07-27.
^ David Winzelber, "Cemetery Bans Mementos on Child Graves", The New York Times, November 22, 1998. See also: Howard Mansfield, The Bones of the Earth, Shoemaker Hoard, 2004, p. 54. ISBN 159376040X
^ Richard Weir, "Dignity after death for dumped babies", New York Daily News, March 4, 2007
^ Peter Applebome, "A Resting Place Incongruously Called Hope", The New York Times, March 8, 2006
^ ^a ^b David Winzelberg, "From Here to Eternity: Choice Burial Sites", The New York Times, November 14, 1999

External links

Official site
Cemetery of the Holy Rood at Find a Grave

Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre

Bishops

Ordinaries	Walter P. Kellenberg John R. McGann James T. McHugh William F. Murphy John Barres
Present auxiliaries	Robert J. Coyle Luis Miguel Romero Fernández Andrzej Jerzy Zglejszewski
Former auxiliaries	Vincent John Baldwin Robert J. Brennan James Joseph Daly John Charles Dunne Richard Henning Peter Anthony Libasci Alfred John Markiewicz Nelson J. Pérez Gerald Augustine John Ryan Paul Henry Walsh

Churches

Cathedral	St. Agnes Cathedral
Basilica	Basilica of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, Southampton
Parishes	St. Dominic Roman Catholic Church, Oyster Bay

Education

Diocesan high schools	Holy Trinity Diocesan High School, Hicksville Bishop McGann-Mercy Diocesan High School, Riverhead St. John the Baptist Diocesan High School, West Islip
Private high schools	Chaminade High School, Mineola Kellenberg Memorial High School, Uniondale Our Lady of Mercy Academy, Syosset Sacred Heart Academy, Hempstead St. Anthony's High School, South Huntington St. Dominic High School, Oyster Bay St. Mary's High School, Manhasset
Closed	Academy of Saint Joseph, Brentwood St. Pius X Preparatory Seminary, Uniondale Seminary of the Immaculate Conception