On Monday 3 August 2026, Catholic Cemeteries + Crematoria (CCC) was honoured to host the blessing of the new St Nemetallah Lawn at Rookwood Catholic Cemetery, a dedicated burial area for members of the Maronite community.
The blessing was led by His Excellency Bishop Antoine-Charbel Tarabay of the Maronite Church and attended by members of the Maronite community, local community representatives, and CCC staff. We were also pleased to welcome Vicar General Monsignor Marcelino Youssef, CCC CEO Lauren Hardgrove and CCC Board Member Bishop Anthony Percy.
Reflecting on the significance of the new lawn, Bishop Tarabay said:
“The blessing of the new St Nemetallah Maronite Lawn 2 at Rookwood is an expression of our Christian faith in eternal life. Our faith calls us to honour the dignity of the faithful departed by providing a respectful and fitting place for their burial. We are grateful to Catholic Cemeteries and Crematoria for their continued partnership in respecting the faith and traditions of our Maronite community.”
Our sincere thanks to Bishop Tarabay and John Dickinson, CCC’s Community Engagement Lead, for their work in bringing this new area and special event to fruition.
CCC is proud to support the diverse faith communities we serve by providing places that respect and honour their cultural and religious traditions. We warmly welcome the Maronite community to St Nemetallah Lawn as a place of remembrance, care and connection, and look forward to continuing to strengthen our relationships with communities across our inter-faith network.
