Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery and Mausoleum

We had my mothers funeral service at Holy Cross recently, My father and brother are also buried here. The grounds are always well kept and the staff supportive and nice. Kinda weird having the mass in a mausoleum. I managed to make it through. Good place to go if you want to be buried in peace.

I grew up seeing the gleaming dome of Holy Cross from childhood homes. My grandmother is buried there. I recently went to visit for my first time and was moved by the setting and beauty of the surrounding grounds. When I am in San Diego, it will be a place to return and reflect.

Wonderful cemetery, My grandmother and grandfather are buried here.
The grounds are kept up.
very fun place to visit!

Drove all the way from Orange County to visit my husbands mothers grave. She passed about 55 years ago when he was young. He hasn’t been much, but today was a special day. Went into the information area to locate her plot, needless to say, there was NO ONE there to help us. We searched high and low in the area where he thought she was and for over and hour we never located her. That was a very sad trip But after, we went to Forest Lawn to visit my mom and there were many people there to assist you, They even had people giving out bottled water if you needed it. I just have to say, I was very disappointed for my husband not being able to visit his mother on this special day. I am sure we weren’t the only ones. Even the Riverside Memorial Cemetery has a kiosk where you type in the name and they direct you to the plot. I would suggest that Holy Cross get in the 21^st century and make something available to locate a plot. Even online would have helped, I tried that and also called yesterday but they had already closed. So sad.

I went on Saturday 06-​21-​2014 to check this cemetery because we are pre-​arranging for our parents. We don’t want to be cut off guard when the time comes and we want to have everything ready when that happens. My parents are very specific about what they want so we went to see the Mausoleums they have there. It was my first time being at this cemetery and it is so beautiful and peaceful. I’ve been to other cemeteries in LA and ohh gosh they are ghetto and scary looking but not this one. I love love this cemetery. They have really good deals if you pre-​arrange. As soon my siblings and I finish paying for these plots at the mausoleums, I will definetly will be buying plots for my husband and I. I think I might just go again just because I want to check the other half we didn’t get to see jijijijijii…

For some odd reason San Diegans don’t know their city!!! I got soooo lost when my GPS didn’t work and couldnt find this place! I stopped and asked 3 people where the heck this place was and zero knew… anyways, I missed the whole funeral but still paid my respects. The people working here were nice. The place has great upkeep and tricky roads but very beautiful.

Love that they allow true Requiem Masses here. It’s the only Catholic place in San Diego where I have attended them. I’ve been to two so far. I can almost bet that 99.9% of the San Diego churches won’t do a Requiem funeral if you ask for one.
The area is filled with beautiful statues too.

I’m not a Catholic, so this place has no religious significance for me. Nor do I believe in interring the dead like this. The Mausoleum however is a great location for photography, especially with super wide angle and fisheye lenses. The marble is kept shiny giving off some great reflections. At the end of most corridors there are stained glass windows with different colors. The mausoleum is quite extensive and contains a maze of corridors and several courtyards. A newer two story annex that is quite interesting as well with a very cool skylight is attached to the old Mausoleum. There is lots of Catholic art to shoot and a very picturesque chapel in the center. There are lots of skylights, but the lighting is still low. I shoot high iso, and have not tried bringing a tripod in. That would improve things, but it would also attract attention.
Another reviewer mentioned the cemetery is not well kept, I can not comment on that, but the mausoleum is spotless. I have never been hassled while shooting there, but I do keep a low profile, make no noise, act respectful, greet the staff, and carry my Press Photographers Card. If you do shoot there, you should be aware you are on private property. I can also recommend the nearby Cypress View and Greenwood Mausoleums. The latter has several mausoleum buildings which are quite impressive, but these are for other reviews I have written.

My name is Joe Talamantez and I visited Holy Cross Cemetery last Sunday on Mother’s Day day to find great dissappointment with the grounds you see my Mother, Grand Mother and Great Grand Mother, Dad, Uncles, Aunts, Nephews & Nieces, Cousins, First & Second, Brother in Law’s, Friends are laid to rest their.
My compliant would be that the older area’s such as St. Paul Ave is in sad condition and ground keepers including their supervisors should be ashamed of themselves for ignoring the older sections. Those people are as in tilted to have the same attention.
As a foot note I have expressed my thoughts with Family and friends and intend to continue till I see improvements!
Thanks for oppertunity to share my story.

I recently attended a funeral service here… what a lovely setting. Such an oasis being up above the busy intersection of 94 & 805.

Among the cemeteries in San Diego, this is one if not the most beautiful and well cared for. This morning I drove my mama to visit her aunt. This is a Catholic cemetery so saints, Catholic icons and statues abound.
Is it, as many cemeteries are, surrounded by homes… and unlike places where you might think that ghosties and ghoulies might be dancing about the place in the dark hours, this would not be one of those places.
This is the cemetery you pass by every day on the 94 East. It has the beautiful blue domed mini cathedral and the grounds are all well kept, clean and peaceful. Like the humongous Inglewood Cemetery in LA, this would be a lovely place to walk in the morning or late afternoon.
There are many outdoor crypts, sections with inlaid tombstones as well as HUGE sections that sport headstones which have either the Virgin Mary, a well known saint or cross on the very top. There are Italians buried next to Mexicans buried next to Middle Eastern folks as well as Vietnamese (who knew all these people were Catholic for heaven’s sake?)
After we were done visiting my great aunt, we went inside the chapel for the first time ever… what a lovely, quiet, peaceful place. It looks like something you might see in Italy, only the walls are lined with crypts.
As we came in a very nice gentleman asked us if we needed anything, candles, directions, help; as he was leaving to run a quick errand.
Once you walk all the way inside to the ‘altar’ please take a look at the ceiling, it is a mini version of a church you might find in Rome. Small comfy chairs are lined up in the room and in front of each statue, there is a small bench where you can kneel and pray… we Catholics love to get on our knees and pray and today was no exception.
Most of the crypts have beautiful arrangements of silk flowers, there is a very quiet soundtrack playing in the background and of course there are always restrooms and flower stations.
The place is spotless and on this hot day, it was a beautiful cool refuge. Outside the front door, there are the many sections for the babies and small children and there is also a very interesting area where all the Sisters of Mercy (Mother Teresa’s group) are buried. Bishop Leo Maher is buried in an enclosed area right outside the chapel as is the first ordained priest of San Diego (or CA I think.)
Again, I would never want to be interred but if I was going to have my ashes stored anywhere, this would be my first pick as a wayward Catholic.
PS. They now sell flowers inside the front gates and there are free CD’s inside the chapel door, directly on your right on which really mellow people recite the rosary.

Although I do not have any family or friends buried here, i enjoy the ocassional stroll through this cemetery. I believe I even did a photo shoot here. I have a fascination with cemetaries, and this is one of the best in San Diego. They have a lovely little alcove in the entrance.

A book on Cemeteries states the obvious: Everyone dies. Some people leave to great fanfare, while others may pass quietly and not even be mentioned in the obituary section of their local newspaper. Every death has a life behind it, a story, a history. And every Cemetery has a story behind it-​and a unique personality too. Visiting a grave produces a feeling. Sometimes it’s sad; sometimes reverent. You can ascertain history and the passage of time. I am not a morbid person but I find cemeteries fascinating.
When you take a city tour of New Orleans or various cities in Europe-​most particularly Paris, France, on the prospective itineraries will also be graveyards visits. I do not know if Holy Cross Cemetery in San Diego is affiliated with a tour but I do know that Holy Cross is the preferred burial ground for devout Catholics in the San Diego area.
First opened in 1919. Holy Cross Cemetery’s biggest claim to fame would be that it is the location of the grave of Andrew Cunanan-​the man who murdered Giani Versace.- When you drive on Highway 94, the large blue cupola of the chapel is an unmistakable landmark. Sometimes heading west, a quick glimpse of the graveyards is visible from the freeways.
On the cemetery property itself, the whirl of passing traffic is ever-​present. Holy Cross is located at the juncture of where Highways 805 and 94 merge. But there is also a surprisingly peaceful and serene quality. I have attended burials here – it is always a nice service and the maintenance and upkeep of Holy Cross is excellent. If a burial crypt is how you want to rest in peace, and you are a Catholic in good standing, then Holy Cross may just be your special spot plot for eternity.
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