Rules of the Catholic Cemeteries
CHAPTER 7. MANAGEMENT
29. Catholic Cemeteries are administered in accordance with these Rules drawn up by the Board and are managed by the Superintendent.
30. Catholic Cemetery staff and workers are employees of the Diocese and are not permitted to solicit or receive commissions, profits or material benefits of any kind. They are not permitted to sell any service, article or object or to conduct any business or trade of their own. Offenders are subject to disciplinary actions or immediate dismissal by the Diocese.
31. Appointed approved contractors and its employees are not permitted to solicit or receive commissions, profits or material benefits of any kind. They are not permitted to sell any service, article or object or to conduct any business or trade of their own. Offenders are subject to follow up action taken by the Diocese according to their contract.
32. If any employee of the Catholic Cemetery or appointed approved contractor and its employee is found insinuating, exacting or soliciting for material benefits of any kind out of any motive or purpose, he shall be reported immediately to the Independent Commission Against Corruption.
33. Catholic Cemetery employees and any appointed person are authorized to stop any person contravening clauses 34, 35, 36, 37 and 38 herein and to report to the police for actions, if necessary. Catholic Cemetery employees incurring these contraventions are subject to disciplinary actions or immediate dismissal. Appointed approved contractors and its employees incurring these contraventions are subject to follow-up actions taken by the Diocese according to their contract.
34. No person shall, in any Catholic Cemetery-
(a) wilfully disturb or interfere with any funeral service or procession or any religious or commemorative meetings;
(b) hold, promote or take part in any public meeting other than a meeting of a religious or commemorative nature relating to the deceased buried therein;
(c) to burn any paper articles, incense, joss sticks or to place sacrificial offerings for the deceased in the customs of other religious beliefs;
(d) post, hang, display, affix, or distribute any handbill, card, circular, or advertisement of any kind whatsoever.
(e) wilfully or carelessly deface, injure, soil or defile any slope, wall or fence in or enclosing the cemetery, or any part thereof, or any grave, vault, urn, niche, barrier, railing, post, seat, boundary stone, monument, gravestone, sculpture, statue, vase, niche sealing slab, tablet, ornament, tree, shrub or ornamental plant;
(f) climb any wall or fence in or enclosing the cemetery, or any part thereof, or any tree, barrier, railing, pole, monument, headstone, tablet or ornament; and
(g) behave in a noisy or unseemly manner.
35. Except with the prior written approval of the Superintendent, no person shall be allowed to conduct guided tour, group visit, commercial filming, location shooting and/or any commercial activities in any Catholic Cemeteries.
36. No person shall permit any dogs or other animals to enter the Catholic Cemeteries.
37. No person shall dig any grave, carry out any earth excavation or carry out any works in a Catholic Cemetery without the written permission of the Superintendent and/or that of the Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene.
38. Gambling, drug taking, drug trafficking, vandalism or any other act of civi or criminal offences is strictly forbidden in the Catholic Cemeteries.
39. Any person causing damage, defacement, soiling or defilement for any reasons, whether wilfully or otherwise, in a Catholic Cemetery shall be held liable to make good and to indemnify all the loss and damages incurred.
40. Any complaint whatsoever should be either sent in writing with true and full name, correspondence address and telephone number or conveyed in person to the Superintendent of the Catholic Cemeteries whose office is as follows:
The Superintendent,
Catholic Cemeteries,
c/o St. Raphael’s Catholic Cemetery Office,
Cheung Sha Wan, Kowloon.
Tel No.: (852) 2745-4220 Fax No.: (852) 2307-2585
Email: ccemstraphael@catholic.org.hk