ASCENSION CEMETERY

Open daily
5:00 AM – 9:00 PM

Ascension Cemetery was dedicated in 1998, about the same time the Catholic Life Center was established. It lies on the east side of the Spiritual Life Center in Bel Aire, Kansas. The cemetery contains two black granite mausoleum walls, one dedicated to St. Joseph and one dedicated to St. Mary. The Statue of the Ascending Christ stands high between the two walls on a series of tall black granite pillars. Since the cemetery was established about 25 years ago it has been expanded twice. St. Francis Garden was added as a Natural Burial Area where no vaults are required and no headstones are present. Most recently established was our All Saints Columbarium with over 350 niches available for cremated remains.

Ascension Cemetery contains almost 40 acres with less than half of the ground being developed. The cemetery is well maintained consecrated ground providing a beautiful resting place for deceased family and friends. The park like ground offer a serene place of prayer and quiet reflection that invites us to remember all those “who have gone before us.”

• Our Natural Burial Area, Saint Francis Garden, is a secluded, quiet and peaceful area towards the back of our cemetery.
• No vaults are used in the Natural Burial Area
• Instead of granite monuments there is a memorial wall with ceramic plaques to memorialize your loved one.
• Funeral homes can keep a body under refrigeration for a period of time. It is possible to have your body present at the funeral mass and this is the preference of the Catholic Church.
• You may have a casket or simply a burial shroud. If you choose a burial shroud, we require a minimum of what the funeral homes call a cremation container (which is a simple cardboard box) to insure the body is handled with care and we are able to lower it into the grave with our equipment.
• Caskets must be made of a biodegradable material. Wooden caskets with rope handles are preferred. We do allow metal screws and hinges on caskets.
• The natural burial area has been seeded with indigenous prairie grasses. We work hard to maintain these grasses and ask that nothing be planted on the plots or elsewhere in the cemetery.