AUGUSTA — Maine Old Cemetery Association announces the establishment of Maine Old Cemetery Week, May 19-25, as part of its mission to encourage and support the preservation, maintenance and study of old cemeteries.

MOCA President Cheryl Willis Patten encourages local historical organizations, civic associations, Boy and Girl Scout troops and fraternal and veterans groups to lead community projects to care for local burial grounds in preparation for the Memorial Day holiday.

In a recent letter of appreciation to MOCA, Gov. Paul LePage stated, “Many old and ancient burying grounds, many containing graves of veterans, lie neglected and abandoned and in danger of permanent destruction. An effective way of fostering interest in Maine’s heritage is encouraging the discovery, restoration and preservation of these burying grounds.”

While MOCA encourages the active care of burial grounds, Patten discourages members of the public from undertaking cleaning or repairing gravestones without appropriate training.

“People with specific interest in learning how to appropriately clean gravestones and straighten leaning tablet stones are encouraged to register for a MOCA-led ‘Cleaning, Leaning’ workshop,” Patten said.

In response to a spate of cemetery thefts of tomb doors and metal gravestone fittings last fall, MOCA has instituted a new, online cemetery vandalism reporting tool. “Obviously, members of the public should report incidents of cemetery vandalism to local authorities, but MOCA is also working to document and research trends of cemetery vandalism and appreciates receiving information about vandalism incidents from around the state,” Patten said.

If, during participation in Maine Old Cemetery Week, incidents of cemetery vandalism or theft are discovered, people are encouraged not only to make reports to local authorities but also to file a report with MOCA by visiting www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~memoca/moca.htm and selecting the link, “Report Cemetery Vandalism.”