PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) Mementoes and most decorations will be barred from grave sites at seven Catholic cemeteries, according to the Diocese of Providence. <\/p>\n
”When we look at the thousands and thousands of people interred in our system and those families who come to these cemeteries, you want to make sure they convey a certain respect and dignity,” says Arthur Lurgio, associate director of Catholic cemeteries for the diocese. ”Unfortunately what might seem wonderful to one may seem terrible to another.”<\/p>\n
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Increasingly, Lurgio told The Providence Journal, people are decorating their beloved’s gravestones with plastic windmills, wind chimes, photographs, figurines and even balloons. The trend has generated more complaints, too, he said. <\/p>\n
The diocese issued a statement Monday saying the policy barring all grave adornments except flowers was not new, but has not been enforced in recent years. It will be enforced as of July 1. <\/p>\n