St Matthew's Cemetery

From the St. Matthew's Cemetery family to yours...

Today, we honor the memory of the nearly 3,000 men, women, and children who were killed in the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Let us pause to remember them. #PatriotDay #NeverForget

Today we honor those very important men in our lives - those still with us and those who have passed on.

It's 5:45 pm...Which means it's officially summer!! We can sure use it.

Be sure to tune in to WBEN Radio (930 AM) today at either 11:45 am or 5:45 pm for a very special broadcast. As you know, the annual Pvt. Leonard Post Jr. VFW Post 6251 Memorial Day ceremony and the Town of West Seneca Veterans Committee ceremony at St. Matthew's Cemetery could not take place this year due to the constraints associated with the current health crisis. But we are determined not to let Memorial Day pass without honoring the brave men and women who sacrificed all for our nation. So, we have worked with the Erie County American Legion to re-create their official annual ceremony (that would normally have taken place this morning at our sister cemetery, Forest Lawn) in an exclusive pre-recorded radio broadcast, which will be aired on WBEN at 11:45 am and 5:45 pm. The ceremony will be approximately 15 minutes in length.

Like pretty much everything these days, Memorial Day at Forest Lawn Group of Cemeteries (and all across WNY) will look very different this year than it ever has before. Unfortunately, this year, New York State and Erie County social distancing mandates remain in effect. Although NYS Governor Cuomo did announce on May 19 that public gatherings for Memorial Day are permitted, they must be limited to no more than 10 people, which means that the traditional Memorial Day events an...d activities that happen here and across WNY cannot take place this year as they have in the past. But we CANNOT let Memorial Day pass without honoring our beloved late veterans. Click here to see what unfortunately can't happen at the Forest Lawn Group of Cemeteries his year, but what we ARE doing to honor the brave men and women who gave all for us: https://www.forest-lawn.com//honoring-our-late-military-ve

Be sure to tune into WBEN Radio (930AM) this morning from 9:00 am until noon for a very special a Memorial Day Tribute show, sponsored by the Forest Lawn Cemetery Group, which includes St. Matthew's Cemetery. Medal of Honor recipient David Bellavia will host this special commercial free show in which listeners can call in and share their memories of and tributes to our beloved late veterans.

Wishing a Happy Mother's Day to all those very special women in our lives - those with us and those who we've lost.

Happy National Pet Day! Did you know that you can have your pet buried with you in St. Matthew's Cemetery or any of our sister cemeteries (if the pet is a domestic animal and is cremated)? Here more here under "Pet Burials": ... https://www.stmatthewscemetery.com/page/arrangements/ See more

We’re all in this together making sacrifices and taking steps to protect the health and safety of not only ourselves, but those around us. With that in mind, we have significantly reduced the cemetery’s on-site staffing to ensure compliance with NYS social distancing mandates. Given staff reductions and the need to focus on our most essential functions of burials and cremations, the following changes are in place until further notice: As directed by government, the cemeter...y office is open to the public for essential services only, including at-need and pre-need burial and cremation arrangements. Please call (716) 822-1960 to schedule an appointment. You can find the burial location of a loved one on our website using the Locate a Loved One tool. Due to limited staff being fully deployed to maintain essential services of burials and cremations, we may be unable to cut and maintain the grass to the same standards you’ve come to expect from us. As monument dealers are closed by government order, markers, monuments and mausoleum inscriptions are delayed. To protect the health & safety of all visitors, be sure to abide by government mandated social distancing protocols of a minimum of 6 ft of space between individuals. Please note that the following activities are prohibited on our grounds: NO PETS, NO BICYCLES, NO SKATEBOARDS, NO CLIMBING, NO SCOOTERS, NO IN-LINE SKATES. We will get through this...together! Thank you for your patience and understanding during this difficult time.

We're aware of some families’ concerns about the disappearance of personal mementos they had placed on their loved ones’ graves at St. Matthew’s Cemetery. The good news is that we have NOT discarded the personal mementos that we collected from the gravesites earlier this month. The only things that were discarded are holiday wreaths and dead plant materials. For other personal items, we’ve done what we typically do at all our cemeteries, which is to pick those items up b...eginning on March 1, and then hold them in an area behind our service building, knowing that those items usually have sentimental value to the families. So, any family concerned that personal item(s) they left on a loved one’s gravesite are no longer there, can come to the area behind our service building (red barn located off of Clinton St.) to locate and pick up the item(s) whenever they'd like. We sincerely apologize to any families that have been affected by this. We clearly should have done a much better job of communicating what was happening, and how they could retrieve their personal items.

Important Information Regarding the Coronavirus Outbreak We hope that you find the peace and serenity of our grounds to be particularly beneficial during this very challenging time, as our community and our nation deal with the impact of the Coronavirus outbreak. The gates of St. Matthew’s Cemetery are currently open as usual. However, to comply with state and local authorities’ imperative regarding social distancing, until further notice the cemetery office will be clo...sed to the public for non-essential services. For essential services, including pre-need and at-need arrangements for interment, inurnment, entombment and cremations, our main office is open and fully able to provide these services. If you would like to locate the final resting place of a family member or friend, you can do so on the St. Matthews website using the Locate a Loved One feature on the homepage. https://www.stmatthewscemetery.com/ If you have any other questions, please call us at 822-1960.

Did you know that today is National Funeral Director Recognition Day? It reminds us to thank the professionals who consider every need during the most difficult time in a family’s life. Funeral directors dedicate their lives to helping families and friends celebrate their loved ones. They bring together the memories and accomplishments of someone they’ve lost to death. With professional guidance and compassion, funeral directors help with every step of planning a funeral. Wh...ile the news settles in among family, these experts understand how emotional and stressful the process may be. The combination of compassion and excellent organizational skills make funeral directors the perfect people to bring together numerous people to celebrate someone we loved dearly. We thank the dedicated funeral professionals who serve us here in WNY.