Funerals &
our Columbarium
Funerals at St. Paul's
The pastoral staff at St. Paul’s Cathedral are available to meet with you and assist in the planning of a funeral service. It is an honor for us to accompany you during this time, and to offer a place of comfort.
Memorial services are typically held in the nave of the Cathedral or in the Chapel of the Holy Family. You do not have to be a member of the congregation or an Episcopalian to have a memorial service at the Cathedral. The pastoral staff is available to discuss advance planning of funeral and memorial services. We make a special effort to make services affordable for everyone.
Our Columbaria, places for respectful storage of cremated remains, are available in two locations within the cathedral. The West Columbarium, located under the rose window in the Cathedral’s west wall, was built in 2004 in honor of The Community of St. Mary, Western Provence, and contains 140 niches. The South Columbarium, located in the south transept under the Lord’s Prayer Window, was completed in 2019 and contains 84 niches as well as 60 memorial plaques for those whose remains rest elsewhere.
Receptions
If you wish to hold a reception or gathering after a service, one of the Cathedral’s many spaces is sure to meet your needs. All the details can be found on our Event rental page.
Policy & Procedure
The price of each niche varies. The purchase price for a niche in the West Columbarium is $4,000.00.
The South Columbarium Niche is tiered pricing:
- Row A (bottom row) =$5,000.00
- Row B-C=$6,000.00
- Row D-G (top row) =$7,500.00
- South Columbarium Memorial Plaque tiered pricing:
- Row A (bottom row) =$1,500.00
- Row B-F (top row) =$2,000.00
Purchase price includes niche, the engraved bronze urn, the engraving for the granite cover, opening and closing of the niche two times per urn (engraving and inurnment), the placing of the cremains in the urn, recording of the inurnment with the City of San Diego, and perpetual care of the Columbarium.
The Rev. Canon Brooks Mason is eager to answer any questions you might have about the columbarium. Please e-mail him at masonb@stpaulcathedral.org for questions or to schedule a service.
Payments must be made in full before cremains are received for placement. Payment for use of the niche shall be in the manner approved by the Columbarium Committee at the time the Columbarium Agreement is signed and as provided therein. Niches shall be assigned only after the Committee has received payment in full and has approved the designees.
The niche cover will bear name and dates of birth and death. Pre-deceased engraving may be requested. The permittee, the responsible party, may also request personalized engraving on the opposite side of the urn at his/her own expense. No other engraving, covering or decoration may be used. The Cathedral’s Columbarium Administrator arranges the engraving of the niche granite and urn.
Flowers may be placed at the Columbaria at the discretion of Cathedral staff, but no other items may be affixed or attached to the Columbaria.
Should the responsible party no longer require or desire the niche which has been purchased, he or she may request the Committee to refund a portion of the purchase price. Under no circumstances may any permittee sell the rights to use a niche to any party other than the Cathedral. The Cathedral reserves the right to make the decision on the timing to repurchase.
The Chapter may, from time to time, adopt new rules or terms, amend the existing ones, or repeal any rule or term, or any part thereof.
