The Catholic Cemeteries Association Of The Diocese Of Cleveland

What The Catholic Cemeteries Association Of The Diocese Of Cleveland does

The Catholic Cemeteries Association of the Diocese of Cleveland is a nonprofit religious organization incorporated in 1893 that operates a network of 20 consecrated Catholic cemeteries across Northeast Ohio, serving the Catholic community within the Diocese of Cleveland. The organization provides traditional full-body burial, cremation burial (Church-approved since 1963), natural burial at All Souls Cemetery, above-ground mausoleum and columbarium entombment, and a range of memorialization products including flush markers, pillow markers, slant monuments, upright monuments, and custom monuments under its proprietary Basilica Brand Memorials line. It operates the Cemmansys mobile application (iOS and Android) offering GPS gravesite navigation and a Funeral Home Portal for digital interment requests, supplemented by the CCAirwaves podcast and the Faith, Hope, and Remembrance blog for community education.

The organization's go-to-market relies on Family Service Representatives at each cemetery office conducting pre-planning seminars and one-on-one consultations, with interest-free payment plans offered to facilitate advance purchase decisions. Revenue is generated through one-time fees for burial plot sales, monument and memorial product sales (including proprietary Basilica granite products with a lifetime guarantee), perpetual care charges covering ongoing grounds maintenance, and charitable donations. Pre-planning services and bereavement support groups (in-person and virtual via Zoom) serve as both community engagement and lead-generation mechanisms.

The entity is governed under the authority of the Diocese of Cleveland, with Andrej N. Lah serving as Director of Cemeteries since 2009 — the first layperson in that role since incorporation. The organization maintains over 600,000 cumulative interments across its properties, operates without external investors or venture capital, and does not publicly disclose financial figures. Pricing is available through a 2026 Service Charges document but is not transparently listed online.

Name

The Catholic Cemeteries Association Of The Diocese Of Cleveland

Legal name

The Catholic Cemeteries Association of the Diocese of Cleveland

Website

https://clecem.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1893

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Catholic Cemeteries Association of the Diocese of Cleveland operates a network of 20 consecrated Catholic cemeteries across Northeast Ohio, providing burial, cremation, natural burial, mausoleum, and memorialization services to Catholic families in the Diocese.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cemetery and Burial Services

NAICS

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

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Catholic cemetery services
• Burial plot sales
• Memorial monuments
• Cremation burial
• Grief support services

Headquarters

HQ city

Cleveland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices21 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Burial Plot Sales: Sale of grave sites, burial plots, and interment rights at 20 cemetery locations throughout the Diocese of Cleveland. Includes both in-ground and above-ground burial options.
2. Memorial Products: Sale of headstones, monuments, flush markers, pillow markers, slant monuments, benches, and custom memorials. Includes proprietary Basilica brand granite products with lifetime guarantee.
3. Perpetual Care Fee: One-time charge to ensure future maintenance and beautification of cemeteries for generations. Covers ongoing grounds maintenance, landscaping, and cemetery upkeep.
4. Above-Ground Burial Options: Sale of mausoleum crypts, niches, columbariums, and sarcophagi for above-ground entombment. Includes family mausoleum customization options.
5. Pre-Planning Services: Advance burial planning services including consultation with Family Service Representatives and customizable payment plans for future arrangements.
6. Donations: Charitable donations accepted for indigent burials, perpetual care, beautification, and general purposes.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Catholic Cemeteries Association operates 20 consecrated Catholic cemeteries across the Diocese of Cleveland, selling burial plots, mausoleum crypts, columbarium niches, full-body burials, cremation burials, and natural burials. The organization offers a proprietary line of granite memorials under the Basilica Brand (available in 14 granite colors with a lifetime guarantee) and supports families through pre-planning consultations, interest-free payment plans, bereavement support groups, and a GPS-enabled mobile app (Cemmansys) for locating gravesites.

Product overview

The Catholic Cemeteries Association operates as a network of 20 Catholic cemeteries serving the Diocese of Cleveland since the mid-1800s, offering a comprehensive suite of memorialization and burial services. The organization's product portfolio centers on its own Basilica Brand Memorials (headstones in 14 granite colors), including Flush Markers, Pillow Markers, Slant Monuments, Monuments, and Custom Monuments. Burial services encompass Full Body Burial, Cremation Burial, and Natural Burial (at All Souls only), with placement options in Graves, Mausoleums, Sarcophagi, and Columbariums/Niches. Supporting services include the Cemmansys App for GPS gravesite navigation, CCAirwaves podcast, Grief Support Groups, Pre-Planning Services with seminars and Family Service Representatives, Bereavement Events, and a Faith/Hope/Remembrance blog. The organization also manages vendor resources including monument dealer applications, foundation specifications, and pricing documents.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Basilica Brand Memorials: The company's own line of memorial products including monuments and headstones
• CCAirwaves
• Faith, Hope, and Remembrance

Products and services

• 20 Cemetery Properties across the Diocese of Cleveland
• Full Body Burial
• Cremation Burial
• Natural Burial
• Grave Sites
• Mausoleums
• Columbariums and Niches
• Basilica Brand Memorials
• Flush Markers
• Pillow (Raised) Markers
• Slant Monuments
• Upright Monuments
• Custom Monuments
• Pre-Planning Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Research shows 100% of people responded they were at peace after pre-planning their final arrangements
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature3 records

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Foundation Partners Group: Private death care platform operating cemeteries and funeral homes across multiple U.S. states; comparable to CCA in service offerings and pre-need strategy, but secular and backed by private equity.

Broad incumbents

• Carriage Services: Public death care provider operating cemeteries and funeral homes nationwide with pre-need funding programs; comparable to CCA's portfolio of burial, cremation, and pre-planning services, though secular and broader in geographic reach.
• Service Corporation International (Dignity Memorial): Largest North American death care provider operating cemeteries, funeral homes, and crematoria; comparable to CCA as a cemetery operator with national footprint, branded products, and pre-need services, though secular and far larger.
• StoneMor Partners (Stonemor): Public, multi-state owner and operator of cemeteries and funeral homes across the U.S. with a similar portfolio of burial goods, mausoleums, and pre-need contracts; comparable to CCA in product mix but operates as a for-profit at much larger scale.

Direct peers

• Catholic Cemeteries of the Archdiocese of New York: Direct peer operating consecrated Catholic cemeteries serving the Archdiocese of New York; same faith-based operating model, burial and cremation offerings, perpetual care structure, and pre-need planning as CCA.
• Holy Cross Cemetery (Archdiocese of Chicago / Catholic Cemeteries of Chicago): Catholic Cemeteries of the Archdiocese of Chicago, including Holy Cross and other properties; a direct diocesan peer offering consecrated burial, cremation, mausoleums, and pre-need services comparable to CCA.
• Mount Olivet Cemetery (Archdiocese of Boston Catholic Cemetery): Part of the Catholic Cemetery Association of the Archdiocese of Boston; directly comparable to CCA as a network of consecrated Catholic cemeteries with burial, cremation, mausoleum, and pre-planning services.

Others

• Matthews International (Cemetery Products division): Supplier of memorial products, cemetery memorials, and cremation equipment to cemetery operators including CCA; relevant as upstream supplier of monuments and caskets that CCA also offers via its Basilica brand.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCnN6lB0zK6xGWqK3pL5Yv_w
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/catholic-cemeteries-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries20 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 →

Frequently asked questions about The Catholic Cemeteries Association Of The Diocese Of Cleveland