The following comes from an April 28 Sacramento Bee article by Bob Shallit:

Wine grapes could soon take root adjacent to headstones under a plan to convert part of the vast St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery in southeast Sacramento into a 9-acre vineyard.

The plans, disclosed by city officials on Thursday, call for using future burial lands at the urban cemetery’s eastern edge to grow cabernet sauvignon, zinfandel, malbec and merlot grapes with the idea of eventually producing sacramental wines that local parishes can use during celebrations of Mass.

The land ultimately would be used as burial sites when space runs out at the existing cemetery area, according to a narrative filed with the city as part of a request for a conditional use permit for the vineyard operation.

That might not be for 30 to 50 years, according to the application.

In the meantime, the vineyard “establishes a beautiful landscaping feature at the cemetery and for the surrounding neighbors,” according to the narrative.