Not long ago, we commemorated the 80th anniversary of VE Day.
One key moment of remembrance is the public one or two-minute silence. It’s a familiar part of our acknowledgement of death, especially death through war or other grievous circumstances. In most church funeral services, there may be a moment during the prayers for remembering, silently, those we mourn.
Silence and stillness are two key ingredients of remembrance. Often, these are deeply appreciated qualities of our church buildings. In between regular services, churches hold space where people can be still and silent and let recollections flow. Memories of precious, departed friends and family that we hold in our heads are prompted by many things, but silent and still promptings can bring an added dimension.
Churchyards too, offer this quality, and so they should. Think of them as extensions of churches. In them, what was once a private life has become part of public memory. Reverent and respectful burials declare that people are loved in death as in life. Often there are ordered ranks of headstones or mosaics of memorial plaques, or just neatness and simple, natural beauty. Approaches to churchyards which embrace a wilder look, being creatively managed to foster their enormous biodiversity, still maintain this quality. Such settings encourage habitats with longer grass, more wildflowers, and preserve the now renowned lichen populations found on headstones.
Whatever the style, in speaking of order and stillness, churchyards consciously offer an unspoken testament to the beauty and diversity of God's creation, including those commemorated there, and to his lavish, generous love which transcends death. Churchyards are places where our thoughts naturally turn to resurrection.
If this is churchyards’ intended purpose, then care and work is needed to preserve and retain that purpose. Keeping order depends on willing people. Some churchyards, once closed to new burials, are cared for by the Local Authority and that is enormously valued by the church. If they are still open, the church retains its responsibility for maintenance.
Resources are often stretched. Mowing is hastened by keeping churchyards free of clutter. Likewise, biodegradable flowers are brought onto graves without containers which can cause hazards to mowers and mourners alike. The Chancellor’s Churchyard Regulations help PCCs to maintain uniformity and consistency wherever memorials are introduced, but to help facilitate the most appropriate pastoral response, where local circumstances suggest, it is possible for PCCs to establish their own local churchyard policy which can permit certain variations to the regulations. Your Archdeacon can give advice about this approach.
Caring for churchyards can be demanding and some churches might look at creating a ‘Friends of our Churchyard’ community where people can enjoy the biodiversity, help care for the environment and help the wider public appreciate and enjoy this very significant part of our landscapes, urban and rural. The charity ‘Caring for God's Acre’ supports many aspects of this work and is active in Lichfield diocese. Who'd have thought it: helping churchyards to remain welcoming places where people can encounter God's presence, isn't all work and no play.
The Revd Preb Terry Bloor, Associate Archdeacon of Stoke-upon-Trent
To celebrate the best in caring for churchyards, keep an eye on our annual Churchyard Award Scheme lichfield.anglican.org/churchyard-award-scheme-2025
and join Eco Church lichfield.anglican.org/eco-church