A LONG-AWAITED expansion of Ascension Cemetery recently came to fruition after years of wading through a complicated approval process.
The cemetery in Lake Forest on Trabuco Canyon Road now has an additional 6.5 acres, bringing the total size to around 16 acres. The project added an extra 1,147 travertine front niches, 1,440 lawn crypts and 35 family estates. Cemetery officials estimate that the expansion will provide up to 15 years’ worth of additional grave and cremation niche spaces into the future.
The expansion officially opened on Memorial Day, May 26, following a dedication and blessing from Bishop Kevin Vann.
The new area is called Holy Trinity Place, named after the Great Commission from the end of Matthew’s Gospel and the words of Jesus before His ascension into Heaven. Within Holy Trinity Place there are three garden subsets: Holy Spirit, Beloved Son and Heavenly Father. The expansion also contains new artwork.
The project was long overdue and took more than 20 years to happen, according to Mike Wesner, director of the Diocese of Orange Catholic Cemeteries, which manages Ascension and the diocese’s three other Catholic cemeteries. All the various governmental and environmental agencies involved, including state and federal, unfortunately prolonged the effort.
The project also included a new maintenance yard for cemetery staff. The expansion marks Ascension’s first since opening in 1965, when it was part of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles before the Diocese of Orange was carved out and established in 1976.