Dominica’s Chief Environmental Health Officer, Anthony Scotland, has disclosed that there are major concerns over the “lack of burial space” at the Massacre Cemetery and the impact this is having on surrounding communities.
The cemetery has been described as “almost filled” and the issue has been of long running concern for residents who are battling for space to bury their loved ones.
The environmental health department has been looking for a plot of land in the Mahaut community for a new cemetery but, according to Scotland, has been been encountering some setbacks.
He said a meeting was held in April with a number of stakeholders and residents and an action plan was formulated to chart the way forward.
“I can tell you that we are still faced with the space issue and Massacre burial ground is almost filled,” Scotland noted. “And as a result, we were trying to get a section of the Mahaut Cemetery Phase One developed. So that is where it is at the moment.”
He explained that the Ministry of Communications and Works has decided to take up the responsibilities of cleaning up a section of the new cemetery site in Mahaut and to put in place a drainage system.
The idea is to put in the road infrastructure for the area, have it demarcated, treated and cleared up properly.
When that is completed the environmental health department will issue the necessary documents to have the Massacre Cemetery closed down and probably revisited after a couple of years.
“The idea is to start phase one in Mahaut but unfortunately it has not yet been completed,” Scotland explained. “Massacre is still being used but sparingly because they have to really search to get a proper grave to open. Massacre is restricted so at the moment some people are being buried at the Roseau Public Cemetery.”
He is hoping that a total survey which was conducted by then chief physical planner, Raphael Francis, on the status of all cemeteries on the island will soon be implemented.
“He has a lot of good recommendations,” Scotland stated. “The laws for burial are outdated, we need to review the legislation. We now have issues of cremation, entombment is also an issue. It is a challenging area we are looking at. Dominica is hilly and land space is not very accessible.”
We have the land. DA is under-developed. Government, open up more space for burial. Thank you very much.
Why do you think Dominica is behind? Most Caribbean people based in the UK use burial as a cultural choice. They will pay thousands to fly an intact body back home for burial rather than cremate and bury or scatter the ashes. Even if people have the choice in Dominica to cremate doesn’t mean that’s the answer to lack of cemetery space. Dominica has land use it.
And to think today some who are legally married are having few children. They are copy-cats, following those big countries. I reside in one but I do not follow their morals and principles, some highly immoral ones which are quite different from how my parents nurtured me. I abide by it. I will not change for the worst.
There are many people who prefer burial. I think those who prefer cremation are few. Generally, Christians should bury and not cremate.
Recall when Our Lord Jesus Christ died, his body was placed in the tomb. He rose on the third day and resurrected.
I am considering that this is a message for us, our death, burial and one day those who remain faithful to his teachings and persevered to the end will be raised on the last day. O Happy Day!
According to the hymn: “And I will raise him up on the last day.” The Holy Bible tells us much about that.
I have a religious song, a few words are, “The grave will give up the bodies”, words to that effect.
Another religious song of encouragement: “Go on children of God, go on. The power of God has brought us through . . . “
For your information. I got the inclination to inform you about the following pertaining to respect for and maintenance of cemeteries. I got the following from a small book which is entitled, “The Holy Ghost, Our Greatest Friend – He Who Loves Us Best. It shows us that the Holy Spirit dwells daily in our souls, waiting always to help us.” It was written by a Priest, Fr. Paul O’Sullivan, O.P. (E.D.M.). I do not know if he is still alive. This book is not a recent one.
In those days He was called “Ghost” since changed to “Spirit.” The latter sounds better for He is indeed the Spirit of Our Lord Jesus Christ, whom we cannot see and never will see but He inspires us and enlightens us on the ways of God. Our Lord said when He is resurrected He will send his Advocate, the Paraclete and our Consoler who will advise and inspire us on godly matters . . .
Our Duty toward ourselves and others: Since the Holy Spirit is really in us (as baptized Christians), we must respect ourselves. . . . The Holy Spirit is in our souls, and because our souls are so intimately united with our bodies, He is also in our bodies. “Know you not, that your members are the temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you (1 Cor.6:19)?
Therefore, we must respect our bodies, avoid especially faults of modesty when dressing or washing.
The Church commands us to honor, even the bodies of the dead because they had once been the temples of the Holy Spirit.
After death the dead are taken to the church and there sprinkled with holy water and incensed. They are then buried in a consecrated, or at least in a blessed, cemetery.
Catholic Cemeteries should be carefully kept, firstly, because we must show love and respect for our dear departed ones; secondly, because their bodies, which lie here, were temples of the Holy Spirit; thirdly because the cemeteries themselves are solemnly consecrated, even as churches are and, may be easily desecrated.
Sometimes cemeteries are allowed to fall into a disgraceful state of neglect, which is an offense to the Holy Spirit and to our dead.
It is a commendable custom to visit the graves of our relatives and friends, and when we pass cemeteries, we should salute them as we do churches and say a little prayer for those buried in them.
My comment and question: The above needs no further explanation. There is more in that little godly, interesting and inspiring book. Consider this. It is a sin and is also a crime in any country to desecrate a dead body. Why then should the remains of our departed ones be burnt? Why should we consider it first to burial?
Some people have left instructions to burn their remains and the ashes thrown wherever they have stated. The Church does not recommend this for obvious reasons. In my opinion this, too, would be desecration. Two primary reasons that remains are cremated, they are for convenience and cost. Let us ask ourselves, is God pleased with cremation? Let your conscience, according to the Will of God, in prayer, guide you and enlighten you accordingly.
God’s blessing and peace!
The Massacre cemetery has been filled for some years now. I was surprised to hear that burial had resumed there. Note the size of the cemetery. The population has grown and so a bigger cemetery is required. Let us face it. Those who are involved in the cemetery know how long it takes for a corpse to rot.
Even the Roseau Catholic cemetery is too small. There was once I attended a funeral and when the remains were being buried I noticed some bones. The body was not properly decomposed. This also happened at the Massacre cemetery and no doubt elsewhere at cemeteries in Dominica..
We have noted through the years that many new homes have been built. These have taken up a lot of space. Therefore, there are not too many areas that cemeteries could be built in D/ca unless owners of land to spare generously donate some of it, if not all of it.
This is a problem worldwide, the population grows and the cemetery spaces are less. In those countries which cater to progress much space have been taken up for building apartments, townhouses and houses.
Since I have been residing in Toronto, throughout the City, there are a few more new cemeteries. Some people’s wish is cremation; others prefer burial. In this so-called modern day era, to each his own. No one can speak for others and say everyone should be cremated, forcing it on them. Whoever prefer it, so be it. People have likes and dislikes.
In so thinking and writing about cemeteries, this is a good opportunity for everyone to consider their end. “Here today, gone tomorrow” that they may be kind to others in every respect. Christians are fully aware what it takes to be saved and what it takes not to be saved. We choose the path while we are still in our bodies and how we treat others in words and deeds.
I believe that proper record keeping thus labeling of graves could have made the situation better able to deal with. Our approach to the new Cemetery is one similar to that of a well laid out and structured site taking into consideration the existing structures at the Mahaut site. But most important of all, tomb building should cease until the completion of works and should not be allowed to be as extravagant!
I tend to agree with you. I will again mention Toronto, in the practically new cemeteries, there are no tombstones or tall headstones. It is only a small square slab headstone with the name of the deceased and year of birth and death. I understood it makes for a neater cemetery. The Dominican church authorities should emulate them.
It is time the government or local authorities start creating burial sites for each community. Gone are the days when churches have their own burial sites .For example the parish of ST Georges should have cemetery for Roseau and environment regardless of denominations ,that is whether you are a catholic, Seventh day Adventist, Pentecostal etc
Are you sure you know what you stated? As long as D/ca is a democratic country, it will be so, as is and remain so.
Wherever you hear in the world that Catholics do not have their own cemetery? There are good reasons for that, religious-wise. How can those who do not believe in God, never practiced the Catholic Faith, do not recognize The Mother of God, The Ever Blessed Virgin Mary as The Mother of the Church, our spiritual Mother, who criticize, ridicule, scoff at the beliefs and practices of the Catholic Church, make derogatory comments about it and who do not believe in Purgatory be buried in a cemetery with Catholics and vice versa?
November 2nd The Catholic Church observes this day as a day to pray for the Holy Souls in Purgatory. People who do not believe in the Catholic Church’s devotions will also scoff at it.
As it is on earth at this moment with divisions and disunity caused by also those who also renounced their Catholic Faith and are the greatest anti-Catholic, I foresee that the rest of non-Catholics whose relatives and friends would be buried in one cemetery cause a lot trouble. Therefore, leave well alone.
I reside in Toronto and there are Catholic cemeteries; likewise in the US and elsewhere in the world. For obvious reasons, they are only for Catholic burial.
There are exceptions but few. I know of one exception where a friend of mine’s mother, a Catholic was buried in a Catholic cemetery. Her husband, a Chinese, died a few years later. The grave was made in such a way that he was buried in the same grave. I knew them and they were extremely nice people also to me. There are probably more cases that I do not know of.
Granted, people are dead and at this point they do not know the difference. Nevertheless, I reiterated, Have you noted what I stated? It is for this reason why Catholics should always have their own cemetery.
Yet Catholics can choose to be buried in a non-denominational cemetery for convenient reasons as burying their loved one in a location which is close to their residence if the Catholic cemetery is too far away for them to visit.
Let me further inform you. Especially in Toronto that I know of, every Wednesday a Holy Mass is held at St. Michael’s Cathedral for all those that are buried in the Catholic cemeteries in Toronto. It is wise that Catholics have their own cemeteries and non-Catholics have theirs. Let this be.
Public cemeteries are for that. Catholics want to buried in consecrated ground and I doubt other faiths want to share in that.
Some people say “when you go to Rome do like the Romans”, we are not Romans. That place in Massacre is not safe, alive or DEAD. Cremation is not the answer for everyone. Corpses can be taken to other burial grounds; for instance, that Government land where the so-called Reuters were kicked out. PERFECT for a BURIAL GROUND, which can be served as the RESTING PLACE for people in the surrounding area.
There was a time that the Catholic Church did not approve of cremation. One reason through the years it has approved of cremation is that some people who reside overseas and would like their loved ones to be buried in D/ca, cannot afford the cost of transporting their remains to their homeland. Therefore, today, it approves of cremation.
I do not see why the Catholic Church in D/ca should encourage cremation under any circumstance. It is not the norm of the Catholic Church with the Resurrection, on the last day, in mind. My view is, cremation is not respectable. It is burning of a body, be it the remains. It is not something I approve of.
There is a lot of land in D/ca but it has been used up for building homes. Check Hall and Canefield are ones, part of which are, on flat land, could have made an appropriate burial ground.
Dominica have more land than people,Y is this a problem?
How often and how long we hearing that saga now. With so little burial space it is time to introduce cremation in Dominica. That is clean and more healthy and also you don’t have the upkeep of a grave to worry about. At least, give people a choice. Any undertaker starting that service will be a winner.
These are not issues that we concern ourselves with. Most of the burial grounds in Dominica are old and they do not reflect the growth in population over the last few decades. This should have been done years ago. The land was donated by a private entity. It’s time to get this done.
This information has been around for over (10 ) ten years that it is ALMOST FULL and nothing has been done. Let me tell Mr Scotland there are other places and other way of putting bodies at rest.
(2) I think he need to look at the health part about the food that is consumed and the proper preparation of food on the island EG the way in with his department test meat for consumption by the public.
“Massacre burial ground is almost filled,”
It is NOT ALMOST filled. It is disgustingly filled! I won’t go into details but it is really sickening. Time for an alternative site or other methods of disposition of dead bodies.
There is a new cemetery in Mahaut on land donated by Mr Nassief.
Very well said mr.Scotland i’ve been pandering that for so
Long was just about to release an article on this subject and another issue is the housing zoning law is so out dated something have to be done to move forward with development of the country
That’s cruel to burn your love one let your love one rest in peace
Is not your loved one your burning, only the body. If you are a christian that is a temporary abode for the soul anyway, which itself is immortal. Myself, I rather cherish the memory and spirit of a loved one than a heap of old bones and have to cry and mourn every time I go to the cemetery. HmHm, not for me.
You should cry and mourn every time you think that their bodies – remains were burnt in fire and turned to ashes. What is left but ashes? This is how you will think of them, burnt and turned to ashes. If buried, it will soon be as dirt.
Which is better? They had rested in peace. This is how we will remember them as we saw them in the coffin for burial. But burnt? Are they resting in peace? Something to think about. Food for thought.
That is not more cruel than to bury them, and they can RIP at their home.
I agree with you.
Cremation time people, time for Lynhurse and Gentle Rest to invest in this.
Before Lynhurse( ?) it was much, much cheaper to bury people.
You are not bound to use Lyndhurst you know. but people have too much tralala. You can have your twe planche and have a carpenter make your coffin, like old times. It’s only going into the ground to rot anyway. Why make a pappy show of that? people spending more money on you when you are dead than when you are alive. That is madness only for show.
Time for cremation my friends Dominica behind
Cremation is personal choice, why would this make Dominica behind time? based on your name “Doninican Uk”
tell me is every corpse cremated in the UK? sometimes some of you just get excited and blurt out anything for noticing.
You are correct. Anything that comes to mind they state. Makes one wonder what is contained in their minds.
Why do you think Dominica behind? Most Caribbean people based in UK opt for burial as their choice it’s a matter of cultural choice. It would be nice to have the option of cremation but it doesn’t mean it would be people’s first choice. Dominica has enough land that cemetery always looked dangerous to me anyway probably time to close it.
The Massacre cemetery has been sinking. There is a precipice below. I have stated this before, a retaining wall should have been built but it probably would have been too expensive.
I suppose in those days it was the only flat land they could get which was near the Church. It served the people well but in view of the increased population and the area it is, it should be closed. It will be for some years to come.
Oh, there is space available. Unfortunately public policy/urban and strategic planning issues don’t make it a priority, and things like cemeteries are at the bottom of what we may think we need to think about. There is government land and land that can be so acquired by government, just as they would for a necessary route or state interest. There are also private individuals which may be open to conceding some property voluntary. Thats where ministries of community development, land and planning should have joint committees working together. unfortunately its just one of these things of very low priority