Cemetery Analysis: Three Rock Cove Roman Catholic Cemetery

Jenna Rouzes

Department of Psychology, Grenfell Campus, Memorial University of Newfoundland

PSYC 3040: Psychology of Death & Dying

Dr. Jennifer Buckle

April 11, 2023

 Cemetery Analysis: Three Rock Cove Roman Catholic Cemetery

Three Rock Cove Roman Catholic Cemetery is located on the Port au Port Peninsula of

Western Newfoundland. Three Rock Cove is a small community which has a population of 188

as of 2016 (Statistique Canada). The approximate number of plots found at this cemetery are

around 170, with the oldest death date of 1955. The cemetery is currently being run by the local

service district, which is a committee of volunteer residents to help support services such as

maintenance.

I have chosen to do my cemetery analysis because of my familiarity with visiting it

frequently to view my grandfather’s plot. I have spent a huge portion of my life in Three Rock

Cove spending time with my grandparents but have only visited the Three Rock Cove Roman

Catholic Cemetery a few times while accompanying my grandmother as she visited her parent’s

grave. My grandfather passed away on May 2nd in 2021 and is located at the front of the

grvayeard. This cemetery is set up so that older plots are located at the back and the newer

looking ones are at the front. Since I live in Stephenville, about 45 minutes away from Three

Rock Cove, it is difficult for me to visit my grandfather as much as I would like. However, when

I visit my grandmother, I stop there along the way.

The cemetery is located on the main road of Three Rock Cove and there are no available

parking spots, therefore, if you wish to visit the plot of a loved one, you must park your vehicle

on the side of the road. There is a white, square picket fence that surrounds the graveyard with

two taller posts making an entry way for the hearse (the vehicle which transports a casket). At the

top of the two posts, there are small crosses, a symbol of the Roman Catholic church and other

Christian religions. There are masses of spruce trees at the end of the cemetery with a large
mountain just behind this miniature forest. The mountain is large in size which contributes to the

cemetery by giving it a beautiful scenic background for the passerby.

Considering this community is prominently Roman Catholic, there was no surprise to that

so many of the grave markers located at this cemetery are in the shape of crosses or have a

mentioning of this religion in some way. Some of the sayings I have noted on the headstones “At

peace with nature and God” and “Not lost to memory or love, but safe in our Father’s home

above”. Other symbols that represent this Catholic theme are angels, birds/doves, and rosaries.

The purpose of utilizing these symbols to help express the religious beliefs by honoring their

loved ones who have a relationship with their God (Francis, 2008).

Other common themes that have been present on grave markers include fishing boats,

fish, water, caribou, and lighthouses. Three Rock Cove is a community where fishing is a main

source of income for many residents. As mentioned previously, my grandfather’s burial is located

at this cemetery and his headstone has images of a boat on the water next to a fishing wharf.

When choosing his grave marker, my mother’s main focus was to have these images displayed

onto it. My grandfather had been a fisherperson alongside my grandmother for about 25 years.

The fishing boat on the grave marker is a way to remember his connection with their livelihood

and his love for being out on the ocean.

Music is another common theme for the grave markers of this cemetery and other

cemeteries located in the Port au Port Peninsula. Some of the images displayed on these

headstones include guitars, music notes, fiddles, and accordions. This community has a rich

musical culture that has been passed on through many generations. Music is seen as a form of

communication for many individuals, and it is the center at every Newfoundland house/shed
party. These musical themes are a way to pay tribute to the deceased by honoring their love of

music and the instrument they loved to play.

Some of the items that are present at a few of the graves are statues of angels and the

virgin Mary. Considering I took my field notes toward the end of the month of February, some of

these statues had been wrapped up with plastic bags and tape to help protect them from the

severe winter conditions, such as snow and ice. It is evident that the families of the deceased had

taken their own liberty to cover these statues because only a few are covered, and others are left

as is. Covering these statues can be a way for the families to help protect and demonstrate respect

for their deceased loved ones by taking care of their belongings (Francis, 2008).

Other items that are placed near or onto the graves at the cemetery are fake flowers and

solar powered garden lights. Fake flowers are found on nearly all of the graves at this location.

Using these as a decoration can help beautify the plot and give a sense of responsibility to the

individual for making the grave of their loved one a comforting space. It can also provide an

outlet for families and friends to express their emotions. Flowers are a symbol of love and grief,

and they can be a way of communicating with the deceased to express their emotional

connection (Francis, 2008). The use of solar powered garden lights can be used to provide

visibility to the grave, to create a peaceful atmosphere, and to honor a symbol of keeping their

memory alive (Francis, 2008). These lights are usually standing in a row just in front of the

headstone to illuminate the writings on the grave marker for the visitors who appear when the

moon does.

My overall impression of the cemetery is that it is a beautiful graveyard for the local

residents of Three Rock Cove. Considering that there is no parking lot, and it is on the main road

of the community, it is difficult to gain some privacy when spending time at a loved one’s grave.
Visiting this cemetery toward the end of the month of February, there was a lot of snow that had

accumulated around the headstones. This caused a lot of difficulty for me to walk around to each

grave with ease since the snow had been up to my knees. Therefore, around the winter months,

the graveyard snow clearing was not kept up enough for families and friends to access

effortlessly and comfortably. This can cause a decrease in visitation to the cemetery due to this

inconvenience, disrupting their bonding and maintenance with their loved one’s grave.

Through the information I have gathered, I was able to acknowledge what purpose that

cemeteries serve for the living. It is a way to commemorate a person’s life through symbols and

images placed on their grave markers and keeping their memory alive (Corr et al., 2019; Francis,

2008). Once a loved one passes away, they do not stay in the past. They carry on into our present

and our future through memory and new ritual practices (e.g., visiting their grave at the

cemetery). Cemeteries also provide a space for mourning and grieving for their loss (Corr et al.,

2019). The grieving process is not linear and happens sporadically. During these moments of

grief, individuals may decide to visit their loved one’s cemetery plot in order to help with these

intense feelings of grief.

Bereaved parents have shown themselves to experience a great deal of grief and trauma

(Corr et al., 2019). Out of all of the plots of the Three Rock Cove Roman Catholic Cemetery,

there is one plot that belongs to a child. The birthdate noted on the headstone reads “March 4,

2000” and the death date reads “January 18, 2002”. This particular plot has a short rectangular

fence in front of the headstone, resembling a child’s crib. There is also a solar powered light post

with hanging stars and moon, which resembles a crib mobile. There was also a small statue

which resembled a man wearing a graduation cap and gown inside of the crib-like fence. The

headstone saying writes “Our little angel, our arms ache to hold you”. It can be extremely
devastating for a parent or parents to lose their child due to unfortunate circumstances. This

gravesite can give these bereaved parents an opportunity to care for their child as they would

have and transform their sense of responsibility to upkeep their grave. Having this statue of what

appears to be a male graduate can potentially indicate that the parents of this child continue to

celebrate what their child could have accomplished if they were still here. This gives them a

recognition of their role as a parent after death has occurred, even if identity disruption attempts

to take place. Identity disruption is a sense that apart of oneself died with the loss of a loved one

(Francis, 2008). Therefore, the visitation of a grave can help with acceptance of their new

pathway in life.

Cemeteries can also be used to recognize one’s own mortality. Francis (2008) noted that

the dealing of death is often given to strangers, such as doctors, nurses, funeral directors, and

morticians. This responsibility is providing a distancing between death and the friends and

families of the deceased. However, the cemetery upkeep and the decorating of each grave is at

hands of the families if they choose to do so. Providing them a bit of closeness after the initial

distancing comes to an end. Therefore, the cemetery offers this space to lessen the gap of death

and the individual which can help acknowledge the concept of the inevitable mortality (Francis,

2008). Recognizing this can allow for change, acceptance, and appropriate life decisions to be

made thoughtfully.

To conclude, the Three Rock Cove Roman Catholic Cemetery was an interesting

cemetery to gather data and complete my analysis on. The themes of the grave markers relating

to the Roman Catholic religion, fishing and boating, and music are relevant themes for this

community and was no surprise when taking not of the images being displayed. The maintenance

of the cemetery was not upkept with the necessary slow clearing and other maintenances were
dependent on the families of the deceased. Some were much more maintained, such as statues

being covered to protect them from harsh winter conditions, and others were forgotten about

maybe due to the age of the plot or the season. This space is utilized to provide a safe

environment for those who wish to grieve the loss of their loved one and to provide a sense of

purpose for taking care of the plot.

 References

Corr, C. A., Corr, D. M., & Doka, K. J. (2019). Death & dying, life & living (8th ed.). Cengage.

Francis, D. (2008). Cemeteries as cultural landscapes. Mortality, (8)2, 222-227. doi:

10.1080/1357627031000087442

Statistics Canada. (2021). Census profile, 2016 census Three Rock Cove, designated place

[designated place], Newfoundland and Labrador and Newfoundland and Labrador

[province]. https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/prof/details/

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