Headstones, Monuments, & Markers

Jeff Touchette, Memorial Design Specialist

Memories Etched in Stone

Creating a cemetery monument, marker or headstone is an important responsibility. The design should fit your loved one’s legacy. Our Memorial Design Specialists ensure every design carries a tradition of faith and love.

The Catholic Monument Design Center partners with America’s finest memorial craftsmen to deliver a memorial that will express your family’s legacy for centuries.

 

Headstones

A headstone (or gravestone) is a carefully selected piece of cut and polished granite that often marks a ground burial. It sits at the head of a grave space and can memorialize a single person or celebrate the lives of two or more people. You can personalize a headstone with names, dates, symbols, illustrations and more.

CATHOLIC SYMBOLS FOR HEADSTONES

 

Monuments

Cemetery monuments consist of an upright granite die resting on a granite base.  A concrete foundation supports the monument.  Each cemetery section may have specific rules and regulations pertaining to memorials.  Monument sizes are determined by the number of graves in the lot.

The Catholic Monument Design Center is the exclusive Rock of Ages dealer for the capital region. Rock of Ages Monuments guarantees their handcrafted granite monuments with a perpetual warranty. Look for the Rock of Ages SEALMARK™.

 

Bronze Markers

Bronze memorial markers are installed on a granite base and set flush with the surface of the ground. Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, with about 12% tin. This alloy is more durable than copper alone.  Over the years, bronze develops a greenish patina, which actually protects the memorial from deterioration.

At the Catholic Monument Design Center, we can design a wide variety of bronze markers with many customizable options. You can choose a simple design to match a veterans administration marker, a custom design that includes actual photographs, or anything in-between.

Blessing of the Headstone

BlessingsThe Blessing of the Headstone is an opportunity to gather in prayer at the grave.  The Order of Blessing, led by a cemetery staff member, begins with an opening prayer.  There is a Gospel reading and responsorial psalm.  A family member is invited to offer a brief reflection.  After the Litany of Saints, those present trace a cross on the headstone with holy water.  Albany Diocesan Cemeteries offers this service at no charge.  This service is also appropriate for anniversaries or birthdays.

Call (518) 350-7678 today to schedule an appointment with our Memorial Design Specialists

    Schedule a design appointment

    I visit the cemetery everyday on my way home from here, and I want to thank you for facilitating a wonderful memory for me and my family.  I am very pleased with the photo.  Thank you so much for your assistance.

    Thank you for giving me such a peaceful place to remember my daughter and father. Terrific staff!

    Thank you for the help in obtaining a grave marker for our uncle John. Your efforts were exceptional and key in getting us through the paperwork hurdle of the VA. Our entire family wishes to express our appreciation.

    I wanted to thank you sincerely on behalf of my family and myself for helping us at a very difficult time. As hard as it could have been, that all seemed to disappear under your guidance, and my daughter and I couldn’t be more grateful. You showed us the perfect resting place, that was such a relief. Thank you for being there for us as Jim was carried to his rest, it all meant so much.

    Thank you so much for your help in fixing my grandparents’ stone.

    You truly have no idea how much this means to my mom and I. What a wonderful way to start this Spring Season.

    Enjoy the ever warming weather.

    Your services to me have been excellent, as my grandparents and great grandmother were cared for as well.  You have given me peace of mind that someday my family will be spared all the indecision and know that I have had my wishes honored, resting in a very beautiful, consecrated place with loved ones.

    My family and I went to view the grave site of my husband, Daniel, over the Christmas holidays. The monument that you designed with my daughter and myself was perfect. It was exactly what we wanted.

    Thank you for your expert guidance. Happy New Year!

    We checked out the headstone and foundation and it was just as planned. We are pleased with the process and with the outcome, it looks both classy and understated, as we had hoped. Thank you, Jeff!

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