The Catholic Cemeteries Of The Diocese Of Hamilton

What The Catholic Cemeteries Of The Diocese Of Hamilton does

The Catholic Cemeteries of the Diocese of Hamilton is a non-profit Roman Catholic cemetery and cremation services organization operated under the canonical authority of the Bishop of Hamilton (currently Bishop Joseph Dabrowski, CSMA, with Most Reverend Douglas Crosby, OMI the prior authority) and owned by the Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation (RCEC) of the Diocese of Hamilton. Headquartered at 600 Spring Gardens Road, Burlington, Ontario, it runs a regional network of 18 licensed cemetery sites spanning Burlington, Ancaster, Stoney Creek, Binbrook, Waterdown, Dundas, Freelton, Brantford, Paris, Cambridge, Guelph, Elora, Acton, Georgetown, and Milton — each operating under individual site licences issued by the Bereavement Authority of Ontario — plus two in-house crematoria: Holy Cross Catholic Cremation Centre in Paris (opened November 2003) and Holy Family Catholic Cremation Centre in Milton.

The organization sells perpetual interment rights (ground lots, mausoleum crypts, cremation niches), provides cremation services through its owned crematoria, and offers memorialization products including monuments, grave markers, and customizable glass-fronted niches. It is governed as a non-religious-commercial enterprise: staff do not work on commission, eliminating sales-pressure dynamics typical of the broader funeral-services industry. Family service counselors conduct pressure-free pre-arrangement consultations, on-site cemetery tours, and pre-payment contracts with 30-day cancellation rights under Ontario's Funeral, Burial and Cremation Services Act, 2002. Revenue is generated through one-time property purchases, per-service cremation fees, and memorialization add-ons; the organization is supported by a statutory Care and Maintenance Fund. Marketing and lead generation rely on Catholic community integration — parish-priest referrals, toll-free and local phone lines, the organizational website (thecatholiccemeteries.ca), in-person cemetery office visits, and the Life Stories online memorial platform — rather than paid advertising channels.

Customers are primarily Catholics and their families within the Diocese of Hamilton (a region encompassing Hamilton-Wentworth, Halton, Brant, Waterloo, Wellington, and portions of Norfolk and Dufferin), though non-Catholic family members of Catholics are explicitly welcomed. No external equity, venture, or institutional capital is involved; ownership rests with the Diocese, governance flows through canonical religious authority, and operations are run by a Director of Cemeteries (Patrick Miltenburg) supported by area managers, family services counselors, memorialization coordinators, administration/HR, and groundskeeping staff. Technology use is limited to standard web platforms (WordPress-based site, online payment portal, PDF-published price lists) with no proprietary software, AI features, or platform integrations disclosed.

Name

The Catholic Cemeteries Of The Diocese Of Hamilton

Legal name

The Catholic Cemeteries of the Diocese of Hamilton

Website

https://thecatholiccemeteries.ca

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Catholic Cemeteries of the Diocese of Hamilton is a non-profit religious organization that operates 18 licensed Catholic cemeteries and 2 in-house crematoria across the Diocese of Hamilton, Ontario, providing burial, mausoleum entombment, cremation, and memorialization services to Catholics and their families through pressure-free pre-arrangement and at-need consultations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cemetery and Cremation Services

NAICS

Cemeteries and Crematories (812220), Cemeteries and Crematories (81222), Death Care Services (8122)

SIC

Services-To Dwellings & Other Buildings (7340)

akta.pro primary industry

Places of Worship & Religious Facilities Operations (Cemeteries, Retreat Centers, Pilgrimage Sites) (BPAGAJAL)

Keywords

• Catholic cemetery services
• Cremation services
• Burial services
• Mausoleum entombment
• Memorialization products

Headquarters

HQ city

Burlington

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices17 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Cemetery Property Sales: Sale of ground lots, crypts (mausoleum entombment spaces), and niches (cremation urn spaces) for burial and entombment rights. These are one-time purchase arrangements with perpetual rights.
2. Cremation Services: The organization operates two crematoria (Holy Cross Catholic Cremation Centre in Paris and Holy Family Catholic Cremation Centre in Milton) providing cremation services including use of the retort, viewing windows, chapel areas for committal services, and family waiting areas.
3. Memorialization Products and Services: Sale of monuments, grave markers, and related memorialization supplies. Also includes customization options for cremation niches (glass-fronted niches for photos/decorations, marble or granite front niches with inscriptions).
4. Burial of Cremated Remains: Interment of cremated remains in existing family graves or crypts, subject to permission from rights holders. Additional fees for documentation preparation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Catholic Cemeteries of the Diocese of Hamilton sells burial and entombment rights (ground lots, crypts, niches), provides cremation services through two owned Catholic Cremation Centres, and offers memorialization products including monuments and markers. Services are delivered to Catholic individuals and their families via family service counselors conducting pre-arrangement consultations, cemetery tours, and contract preparation, with cremation handled in-house at Holy Cross Catholic Cremation Centre (Paris) and Holy Family Catholic Cremation Centre (Milton).

Product overview

The Catholic Cemeteries of the Diocese of Hamilton operates as a network of Catholic cemetery and cremation facilities serving the Diocese of Hamilton in Ontario. The organization offers a comprehensive portfolio of memorialization services including traditional ground burial, mausoleum entombment, and cremation options through its two Catholic Cremation Centres. Pre-arrangement planning services enable pressure-free advance purchase of cemetery lots, crypts, niches, and monuments. Additional services include the Life Stories memorial platform for families and monthly memorial masses. The organization manages 18 cemetery locations and 2 cremation facilities across the region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cemetery Burial Services

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Roman Catholic Diocese of HamiltoncoreOthersThe cemeteries are owned by The Roman Catholic Diocese of Hamilton under the authority of Most Reverend Douglas Crosby, OMI, Bishop of Hamilton. This is the parent religious organization providing canonical authority and oversight.
• Bereavement Authority of Ontario (BAO)coreOthersRegulatory oversight body for bereavement services in Ontario. The organization displays the BAO Consumer Information Guide badge and operates under BAO licensing requirements (site licence numbers for each cemetery).
• Diocese of Hamilton Family Ministry OfficeminorOthersGrief support provided through Teresa Hartnett, Director of the Family Ministry Office at the Diocese of Hamilton. Contact provided for grief support resources.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• StoneMor Partners: Publicly traded U.S. cemetery operator with focus on cemetery property sales, merchandise, and pre-need contracts. Closely comparable revenue model centered on cemetery property rights and pre-arranged services.
• Mount Pleasant Group: Large Canadian cemetery, funeral, and cremation operator with multiple sites in Ontario. Overlaps directly in cemetery operations, cremation, and pre-arrangement offerings within the same Ontario geography.
• Carriage Services: U.S.-listed death-care operator with cemetery, funeral home, and cremation operations. Comparable cemetery and cremation business model with similar pre-arrangement revenue dynamics, though operating primarily in the United States.
• SCI (Service Corporation International): Largest publicly traded death-care operator in North America (Dignity Memorial brand). Operates cemeteries, funeral homes, and crematoria across the U.S. and Canada; comparable end-of-end service set and pre-need financing capabilities.
• Arbor Memorial Inc. Canada's largest privately held cemetery and funeral services operator, running dozens of cemeteries and funeral centres nationally. Comparable end-of-life service portfolio (burial, cremation, pre-arrangement) but operates at national scale across denominations.

Direct peers

• Catholic Cemeteries & Funeral Services - Archdiocese of Toronto: Operates Catholic cemeteries, mausoleums, and crematoria across the Archdiocese of Toronto under similar diocesan ownership structure. Same faith-based service model, same BAO regulatory environment, and directly comparable non-commissioned pre-arrangement program.
• Catholic Cemeteries of the Diocese of Ottawa: Diocesan Catholic cemetery operator serving the Ottawa region with comparable burial, cremation, and pre-arrangement offerings. Direct analogue in another Ontario diocese, sharing regulatory framework and customer base profile.
• Catholic Cemeteries of the Diocese of London: Operates Catholic cemeteries across the Diocese of London in southwestern Ontario. Closely comparable diocesan model with parallel product set and referral channel via parish priests.

Others

• TrustWell Living / Pre-need Trust Administrators: Third-party administrators of pre-need funeral and cemetery trusts. Relevant as an adjacent infrastructure provider that manages the care-and-maintenance fund structures mandated by Ontario legislation for the subject company's prepaid contracts.
• Batesville Casket Company: Major U.S. supplier of burial caskets, cremation urns, and memorialization products to funeral homes and cemeteries. Comparable memorialization product category, relevant as a vendor peer for monument and merchandise sourcing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-catholic-cemeteries-of-the-diocese-of-hamilton

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

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