Volunteers spruce up historic graveyard in Chennai

People who would roll up their sleeves and tidy up a cemetery in a spirit of volunteership are scarce. When these sustaining a graveyard discover such individuals on the horizon they can’t be grateful sufficient for his or her success.

Last month, these answerable for the 217-year-old St. Patrick’s Cemetery on Pallavan Salai discovered purpose for such gratitude. Around two dozen volunteers from parishes underneath the Archdiocese of Madras Mylapore hunkered all the way down to a cleansing work on the cemetery, which is an unlimited expanse.

Chintadripet, Vepery, Park Town and Narasingapuram had been among the many parishes that contributed to this “workforce”. Notably, this train is just not a one-off factor: these volunteers have agreed to satisfy as soon as a month for clean-up work on the cemetery.

The parish priest of Our Lady of Dolours Chapel Father Prakash, who can be liable for sustaining the St. Patrick’s Cemetery, which is connected to the chapel, notes that essentially the most difficult work on the cemetery is checking the expansion of weeds, particularly when it rains. Even helpful bushes require pruning.

“Last month, volunteers pruned tree branches and likewise eliminated thorny bushes,” says the priest including that additionally they interact staff in holding the nine-and-a-half-acre large cemetery clear.

But many a time, that’s simply not sufficient.

“Unless we’ve a devoted staff of people that monitor the graveyard, managing its actions turns into troublesome,” he says.

R. Ranjith, a resident of Chintadripet who has members of the family buried within the cemetery, says he was motivated to enroll as a volunteer seeing the varied measures being taken to enhance the place. “When you go to a grave to wish and discover the place overrun with bushes it leaves you disturbed; so I considered doing my bit at any time when I can,” says Ranjith.

The historic cemetery, which has 3000 plots/graves, some courting again to the 1800s, has undergone various adjustments within the final one yr ever since Father Prakash took cost of its upkeep. “All sorts of unlawful actions had been taking place on this area; with the assistance of varied teams together with political leaders and police we fought and overturned this case,” he says.

In April 2025, The Hindu Downtown carried a function concerning the facelift the place acquired with a compound wall, solar-powered lights, concrete pathways, and new saplings. The native police now go on rounds on the cemetery twice a day to maintain a vigil of the place.

“You must hold the graveyard welcoming by way of the yr. And with the assist of many individuals who’ve joined the WhatApp group we hope to maintain these initiatives operating,” says Father Prakash.

The church has additionally launched a cemetery card and requests family whose members of the family are buried within the cemetery to resume it yearly with a charge of ₹ 800.

To volunteer, name 80560 55781