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In March 2019 the three Catholic Cemeteries of Spokane — Holy Cross, St. Joseph and Queen of Peace — ended their relationship with Catholic Funeral and Cemetery Services (CFCS) to return management of the cemeteries back to local control. Out of the decision to split with CFCS came a chance to rebrand as Holy Cross Funeral and Cemetery Services (HCFCS).
Holy Cross Cemetery, formed in 1931, is the foundation out of which the Catholic Cemeteries of Spokane has grown. In the last 30 years, the cemetery system has grown to include both the grounds of the “old church” and large cemetery of St. Joseph in Otis Orchards and the grounds at Queen of Peace Cemetery at Immaculate Heart Retreat Center. In returning to local control, the cemetery services are also seeking to return to their roots.
“We are building on the legacy of our Catholic tradition,” said Rick McLean, the new executive director of (HCFCS). “Holy Cross is the foundation of all of our cemeteries. We do the majority of our business out of Holy Cross here on the Northside.” The legacy is more than a local legacy, as many involved with Catholic funeral services will remind you burying the dead is a corporeal work of mercy. From the earliest years of the Church, care of the bodies of the dead was an essential witness of the Christian church. The last pagan emperor of Rome, Julian the Apostate, spoke to the witness the Christians offered, “Christians are noted for two things — their care for the poor and their care for the bodies of the deceased.”
As management of the cemeteries returns to local leadership, a new director was needed. McLean has served as a Family Services Advisor since 2013 at Holy Cross Cemetery on North Wall Street in Spokane. Starting March 1, McLean began as the new executive director tasked with leading the transition to local management, the rebranding process, and plotting a course for the future.
“My background is in the auto industry; I used to own a Chrysler Dodge Jeep dealership in Grandview, Washington, but I was born and raised here in Spokane,” said McLean. He worked for over a decade in the Yakima Valley, raising his two daughters and growing the dealership. It was in Grandview at Blessed Sacrament Parish that McLean grew in his faith and first felt a call to serve in ministry. He sold his share in the car dealership and returned to Spokane. “When I sold the dealership, I wanted to get into ministry.”
The desire to serve others in a church related context led him to the funeral services. Having worked at Holy Cross for the past six years, McLean has been able to make the connection in the local community and in the Church that will be key during the transition back to local management. McLean said, “Our goal and my goal is to make Holy Cross ministerially based; to work hand in hand with and in solidarity with the Diocese of Spokane; to allow the Holy Spirit to lead us. We want to be a diocese that takes care of people from conception to natural death. We want to be a shining light in that ministry.”
The goal of the cemetery does not stop at the doors of the Catholic Church. “It is our goal to reach out to all the baptized,” said McLean. “We want to make sure Spokane is aware we are a ministerially based non-profit funeral home and cemetery. We are a funeral home and cemetery that is able to assist the families in this very important decision and help them with the means to get there. We are a non-profit so we do not charge any interest on our financing for pre-planning.”
As a work of mercy, burying the dead is undertaken not only to bury those who have the means for a funeral, but also for those looking for dignity and care of their loved ones after death and find themselves unable to afford a funeral. HCFCS operates a section of the cemetery, called the Crypt of the Holy Angels, which is for any person, regardless of denominational affiliation and abiltiy to pay, to receive burial in a communal crypt.
As Holy Cross, St. Joseph, and Queen of Peace begin a new chapter as Holy Cross Funeral and Cemetery Services, the cemeteries are thankful for their time with the Catholic Funeral and Cemetery Services, “who did their part and helped us set up the funeral department. Now we have the people in place and it is a good time for us to focus locally,” said McLean. The new structure will be more adaptable to the needs of the local Church and importantly for HCFCS staff “we will have more exibility to make immediate decisions.”