Over the years there has been much confusion about cremation in the Catholic Church. The Holy See provided helpful guidance in an instruction issued by the then Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in 2016. It teaches that:
“The Church continues to prefer the practice of burying the bodies of the deceased, because this shows a greater esteem towards the deceased. Nevertheless, cremation is not prohibited, ‘unless it was chosen for reasons contrary to Christian doctrine’” (§4).
Assisting families with burials is challenging because each individual family situation is unique. The 21st century offers so many novel and differing ‘options’ for burial, plenty of which — unbeknownst to so many — are in direct conflict with our Catholic faith.
As Catholics, we believe that the human person is a composite of body and soul. At death, the soul is separated from the body; but the Church affords great care in respecting and honoring the body of a deceased person. The body is not mere “matter” which can be discarded; the body is sacred.
The Holy See’s instruction goes on to note that: “Burial in a cemetery or another sacred place adequately corresponds to the piety and respect owed to the bodies of the faithful departed who through Baptism have become temples of the Holy Spirit and in which ‘as instruments and vessels the Spirit has carried out so many good works’” (§3).
Honoring a loved one through proper Catholic liturgical rites is essential. As Bishop Bruce A. Lewandowski, C.Ss.R., shared in his Oct. 30 INRI column, “The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has clear instructions reflecting the Church’s teaching about the placement of the cremated remains in a cemetery or place of respect such as a mausoleum or columbarium.” The Church teaches us to give reverence toward the body even after death. The bishop wrote, “Therefore, the bodies of the dead must be treated with respect and charity; and burial is above all the most fitting way to express this (CCC 2300). In life and death, the human body is sacred.”
So often during their time of grief, the latest trend or idea grabs the attention of mourners to uniquely memorialize their loved one. A dignified Catholic funeral sometimes gets lost in the planning. Many times, families are not aware of the Church’s teachings, not only regarding cremation, but also the fact that their Catholic loved one should be laid to rest in consecrated grounds.
As my dad’s wife and I were making his final arrangements, she told me that she was going to have some of his cremated remains made into a pendant for her to wear and asked if my sisters and I would each like a small urn of our father’s cremated remains as a keepsake. I explained to her that although I could understand her sentiment (in wanting to have a piece of him with her always), that is not compatible with our Catholic beliefs. Additionally, knowing how my dad had returned to Church in his later years, and how seriously he took his Catholic faith, she immediately said, “Oh, I did not know that…then absolutely not.”
It was at that moment I realized how many people really do not fully know or understand the teachings of our Catholic faith. Yet, as soon as the teachings are explained, people are often receptive to following. After that conversation with my stepmother, my approach changed when assisting families with arrangements for their loved ones. Now, when families tell me of their untraditional “plans” for mom or dad’s cremated remains, I gently and simply explain our Catholic teachings on burials, and 99% of families who had those alternative “plans” change to a Catholic burial. My personal and professional experience has given me the knowledge, understanding and opportunity to honestly share with these grieving families the teachings of our Catholic faith on Christian burial.
The Holy See helps us to see this: “Following the most ancient Christian tradition, the Church insistently recommends that the bodies of the deceased be buried in cemeteries or other sacred places” (§3).
The late Bishop Louis E. Gelineau, in a 1996 statement, addressed this issue quite eloquently in an appeal to the faithful to follow the Church’s teachings on Christian burial. He called it a privilege, not a restriction for the faithful departed:
“The departed faithful, who have been purified with the saving waters of Baptism, professed and practiced the same faith. Interred or entombed in a Catholic Cemetery, they will together await Resurrection Day as a community of the faithful. Catholic Cemeteries serve as a testimonial of our faith. They serve as a witness to the existence of God and the Resurrection of the dead. Catholic Cemeteries are a reminder that we are heirs to eternal life in Christ. The Catholic Church has always taught and maintained that is it a privilege, not a restriction, for her faithful departed to be interred or entombed in a Catholic Cemetery. May we faithfully utilize this privilege.”
We could not write a better testament to our Catholic cemeteries. These are the same reasons we include all varieties of cemetery space possible at all of our locations throughout the diocese.
Spaces for graves are offered for full body interment or cremation. These can be for one or two individuals or more. Family lots of various sizes and types are now being designed so that members may remain together in death as they lived their life of faith here on earth.
There are also options for graves to be memorialized with flush markers or upright monuments, giving more choices to families for the burial of a loved one. We also provide above-ground options with mausoleums and columbaria cremation urns. All of this can be daunting to deal with when a family member passes, which is why we are here to walk you through the options, so you can make a choice that best fits your needs and the selection your family member would want.
If you haven’t yet given your loved one(s) a proper burial, bring your loved one(s) ‘home’ to the solemnly consecrated grounds of our Catholic cemeteries. This November, our diocesan cemeteries are offering a discount for the interment of cremated remains of any Catholic who has yet to be interred or placed in a columbarium. We invite you to visit or call our offices (401-944-8383) and learn about the many offerings available. Let us assist and support you in making those decisions. We will honor your faith and your loved one, while helping you and your family make burial plans and decisions that are comfortable for all. Learn more at www.ricatholiccemeteries.org.
Anthony Carpinello, CCCE, CCE is Director of Cemeteries for the Diocese of Providence and Secretary, Catholic Cemetery Conference.
