For Catholics Considering Cremation
elevated DcGHR “I never knew that the Catholic Church allowed cremation.” “I want my ashes scattered on the lake at the cottage.” “I want my ashes to be placed on the fireplace mantle.”
The list of comments and questions is long. As a matter of fact, questions about cremation are the most frequently asked questions that our staff encounter. Increasingly, Catholics are choosing to be cremated; and as they do, each situation brings with it new questions.
Since 1963 the Catholic Church has permitted cremation. The increase of cremation by Catholics has caused Catholic Cemeteries & Funeral Services to also rethink how we minister to our families making this choice.
The great respect the Church has for the deceased should always be evident in the way the cremated remains are treated after cremation. Cremated remains should receive the same reverence as the corporeal body. “We are created in God’s image.” This image is to be respected. This means that the full liturgy of Christian Burial be carried out whenever possible. These rites include a visitation, a funeral mass and burial in a Catholic Cemetery. Increasingly these rites are becoming obscured. Keeping an urn with cremated remains in the house, separating cremated remains to be placed in lockets, or “scattering” remains at a nostalgic location do not give proper reverence to the deceased or his/her faith, nor does it provide a place to visit in perpetuity.
Sadly, for most people, funeral and burial plans are rarely discussed until the time of death. At these times the value of prayer, church and community can fall behind the stress and immediacy involved in making decisions at the time of death.
Catholic Cemeteries & Funeral Services, as a part of the Church, strives to meet the diverse needs of those who choose cremation; including the first crematorium and funeral home in a Catholic Cemetery in Ontario. As more and more people choose cremation, Catholic Cemeteries & Funeral Services will continue to minister to them ensuring the same care and respect we have provided for over 160 years.
Granite and glass front niches for the placement of cremated remains are available in Our Lady of Fatima Mausoleum. Another option for those choosing cremation is ground burial of the cremated remains in a cremation grave or family lot.
Honour Their Ashes
Keeping cremated remains at home may be a sign of love and grief, but family members may not understand that the departed loved one now belongs to the entire community of faith and not just to his or her closest relatives. If you are holding human cremated remains of a loved one at home, whether they departed recently or many years ago, consider bringing them to a Catholic cemetery.
Placing cremated remains in a sacred place also prevents the faithful departed from being forgotten or from being shown a lack of respect. This is more likely to happen as time goes on and family members closest to the departed also pass away.
The promise of Catholic Cemeteries is to provide a dignified, permanent and sacred resting place for your loved one, whatever your needs. Speak to one of our family counsellors today.
