Planning = Happiness

Can It Really Be That Simple?

It turns out the key to happiness is planning for it!

Lynda Gratton is a writer who’s done deep research into longevity-living. The potential within all of us to stay vibrant and happy well into our 90’s and even 100. Medicine and the environment – i.e. technology - are keeping us alive that long. She posits that it’s your choice how you deal with those years.

Her book The 100 Year Life has just been updated after ten years with a second volume Living the 100-Year Life: How to Build a Career that Lasts and a Life You Love. The premise is that more of us should begin thinking about what life looks like if we live to be 90, or even 100.

According to Gallop Research, the average age people retire in the United States is 61. That means you will be NOT working for almost 30 or 40 years.

This concept raises all sorts of interesting questions. How long should we work? Should volunteerism be a more prominent transition from working life; how much should we save? How do careers change over such a long lifetime? How do we remain healthy, engaged and purposeful?  The books advice: plan for this, and it’ll make for a happier outcome.

Remaining vibrant past 80, 90 or 100 involves planning. Getting there and saying, “now what?” is not a path towards longevity.

Living in the Dash

Walk through any cemetery and you’ll notice something remarkable. An entire human life is represented on a monument by two dates separated by a very small dash.

1926 — 2026. One hundred years.

But those two dates tell us almost nothing.

The first tells us when someone arrived. The second tells us when they transitioned.

Everything that mattered happened in the dash.

A childhood. A first job. Falling in love. Marriage. Children. Friendships. Mistakes. Forgiveness. Sunday dinners. Faith. Loss. Laughter. Work. Sacrifice. Perhaps grandchildren and great-grandchildren. A hundred years of ordinary days that, taken together, became a human life.

The Bible tells us that long life is a blessing. But the more important question isn't simply how many years we are given. It is what we do with them.

Length of life is a blessing. The life we put into those years is the gift we leave behind.

That's one reason I've come to think that our work at Catholic Cemeteries really isn't about death nearly as much as people assume. It’s about helping you plan. 

We are involved with life at nearly every stage surrounding death. We help people prepare. We help families make decisions. We help them say goodbye. We provide a sacred place to bury someone they love. And then we care for that place so children, grandchildren and generations not yet born have somewhere to return, remember and pray.

And as Catholics, even that isn't the end of the story.

Our faith tells us that the second date carved into the stone does not mark the end of life. It marks the end of this life.

Maybe that's the most interesting thing about planning for a 100-year life.

Plan for the hundred years. Live every one of them as fully as you can.

Thank you for allowing us to serve you and your family. It is our privilege to care for these sacred places and accompany you on your journey of remembrance and faith.



Thomas Christy

Director of Cemeteries

Cemetery Updates

October 31, 2026, will be the last day of Saturday phone service for Mt. Olivet, Holy Cross, and St. Adalbert’s cemeteries this season.

Saturday phone service will resume on May 8, 2027. During the winter break, please contact our offices during regular weekday hours.

A recent New York Times article announced that Japan now has 100,000 residents over the age of 100. Amazing. There are many recent books (including the ones by Lynda Gratton mentioned above) and articles about living to 100. It’s the new benchmark.

This made me curious as to what the US longevity statistics are relative to living to 100. The US has about 101,000 people aged 100+. About 1 person in every 3,300 Americans is over 100. The great news is that this proportion of the US population is expected to grow to 422,000 by the year 2054. Four times more people than today. Exciting!

Knowledge is power as they say. You can find out more about longevity by visiting the National Institute on Aging.

The Power of Prayer - Meet Deacon Kevin Barron

When Deacon Kevin Barron joined Catholic Cemeteries as our new Project Manager, he asked to continue one commitment that was especially important to him. Each day at noon Kevin leads a prayer group to pray the Rosary for Matthew Mayich, a 21-year-old college hockey player whose family and friends have gathered people from across the world in prayer.

Matthew was hospitalized after collapsing during an Arizona State University hockey workout in August. A cousin of Matthew’s asked Kevin, who serves as a deacon in the Catholic Community of North Buffalo to help lead the daily prayers. What began as a response to one family’s heartbreak has grown into a remarkable community. On some days, as many as 300 people join remotely, bringing their concern for Matthew and his family to the same prayer.

Kevin did not set that commitment aside when he began his new job. We are glad he asked to continue it.

At Catholic Cemeteries, we often meet families during some of the hardest moments of their lives. We cannot take away their grief or uncertainty. We can be present, listen, pray when invited, and treat each person with care. Kevin’s daily commitment – to prayer and to others - is a living example of that approach.

Our work is largely mission-driven and although Kevin brings more than 20 years of sales experience to Catholic Cemeteries and will strengthen the way we serve families across our locations, it’s his faith that will lift us. As a deacon, he brings a deep understanding that service begins with the person in front of us. The Rosary gathering reminds us that a family in need may be surrounded by a much wider community than we can see—and that a few minutes of faithful presence can matter.

We welcome Kevin to Catholic Cemeteries and are grateful for the gifts he brings to our team. We ask our readers to keep Matthew, his family, his teammates, and all who are praying with them in their prayers.

National Cremation Placement Day — October 17

This year marks the first National Cremation Placement Day, an invitation to consider a permanent resting place for the cremated remains of a loved one.

Some families make that decision soon after a death; others need more time. Whenever you are ready, Catholic Cemeteries can help you explore options for interment in a grave or placement in a niche. A lasting place of remembrance gives family and friends somewhere to visit, pray and remember for generations to come.



You do not need to wait for a special day. Call us whenever you are ready to talk.

Fr. Welgden is Back with the Bills

Our beloved Fr. Fran is in the news again. He’s been reappointed the Buffalo Bills’ Catholic Chaplain for the 2026 season. After more than 30 years as chaplain Fr. Fran stepped aside in 2023. For anyone who knows Fr. Fran he agreed to serve because he loves celebrating Mass and ministering to the players. He expects to celebrate a 25-minute Saturday evening Mass before home games, saying he prays for players’ health and families rather than for a win.

Remember – Fr. Fran experienced the glory years including all four Buffalo Bills Super Bowl appearances. We’ll all be praying that this is the year we finish the job!

Congrats to the Bills and all the fans on this great appointment!

Senseless Vandalism at the Cemeteries

Sad news to report. On the morning of September 29^th we arrived at work to find multiple (30+) monuments at our cemeteries vandalized. Tipped over. Including monuments in our veteran’s section.

Our staff is working hard to get these upright and reset. Thanks in advance for your patience.

Random acts of desecration are hard to understand and nearly impossible to prevent. We cherish every visitor to our cemeteries. They are public places of calm and meditation. 

Sad as this event has been, we do not want to revert to a bunker-mentality and forbid visitors. That defeats the whole purpose of what cemeteries are. Thanks to our thousands of visitors each year who cherish our grounds and consecrate them with their presence. Please do not let this one random act deter from our beauty. 



Police have been notified. We are trying our best to prevent future occurrences.

Upcoming Cemetery Masses

Interested in having a mass said for your loved one?



If you'd like to have one of the monthly masses said for a loved one please reach out to Deacon Dave McDeremott at dmcdermott@bflocc.org. 

Now Accepting Online Donations

In the coming months, we plan to share more about a long-term campaign to improve and beautify our cemeteries. You do not need to wait for that announcement to take part. If one of our cemeteries holds a special place in your family’s history, you can make a gift today through the Donate Now button on our website.

We welcome your ideas, too. Tell us what you value about these sacred places and what you hope future generations will find here. Gifts, volunteer help, encouragement and thoughtful suggestions can all shape what comes next.

The care we give today is a gift to the families who will visit tomorrow—and for generations to come. 

Have You Tried Our Burial Search?

There are thousands of stories buried in our cemeteries. Some belong to people we remember well. Others belong to grandparents, great-grandparents and generations of family members we may never have known.

Now finding them is easier than ever.

Our website includes an online burial search that allows you to search for a loved one, locate a burial space and find cemetery information before you ever leave home.

Planning a cemetery visit? Looking into your family history? Wondering where a relative from generations ago was buried? Start with the burial search. You may be surprised by what you find.

And while you're there, take a look around. You'll find information about our cemetery locations, burial and cremation options, upcoming events, Masses, memorial programs and other resources for Catholic families.

Our website isn't meant simply to tell you about Catholic Cemeteries. It's meant to help you find the people who brought you here.

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