Cremation: Not the Final Decision! 

Cremation was once unheard of among Catholics.  In fact, many Catholics still believe the ban is still in effect.  But the Catholic Church has permitted cremation since 1963.  The Church still prefers full-body burial while now allowing the prudent choice of cremation.  When cremation is chosen, the Church prefers that the body be present during the Vigil and the Mass of Christian Burial.  The cremation would follow these rites.  The Rite of Committal and burial of the cremated remains at a cemetery would complete the journey.  Often the cremation follows immediately after the death and before all liturgical rites.  Then the cremated remains are a focal point during the rite of the Order of Christian Funerals.  In every instance, the Church views cremated remains as inherently worthy of respectful treatment.  So there is one more decision after choosing cremation: where will the cremated remains be buried? 

Cremation: A Simple Principle – Treat Cremated Remains Like a Body

Cremation is chosen more and more.  More and more cremated human remains are never buried.  Many cremated remains are sitting on shelves and mantels, under beds and in closets.  Many cremated remains are left at crematories, cemeteries offices and funeral homes.  Perhaps a good intention to gather family and friends never happened.  Perhaps there was no more money for a burial.  Perhaps someone simply didn’t want to spend any money for burial.  Perhaps no one considered the fact that cremation still leaves mortal remains.  Here is a simple rule: treat cremated remains as you would a body…with respect and reverence.  Cremated remains should be permanently placed and marked in a cemetery, preferably a Catholic cemetery.  Even if it has been too long, call a cemetery and arrange for a burial.  You will feel better having done so.  If you have a cremation in the future, make sure the final decision about burial is made with clarity.

Cremation: Remember the Outrage? 

A couple of years ago a crematory in extreme northern Georgia was caught failing to cremate the bodies of the deceased.  Instead of returning the cremated remains, the operator gave out urns filled with powdered cement.  There was understandable outrage, especially because these bodies were left out on the land in the ravines and gullies.  It was irreverent, deceitful and sinful.  Right now, hundreds of cremated remains are abandoned around homes, funeral homes, cemetery offices and crematories…unburied, sometimes even unclaimed.  There ought to be a little bit of outrage about this too.  Yes, the body was properly cremated, but lacks a proper and respectful burial.  Cemeteries are for the dead, whether full-body burials or cremated remains.  When you think about cremation, think all the way to the burial of your loved one’s remains.

Cremation: Final Disposition of Cremated Remains

The most intensely personal characteristic of a human person is their face.  When that unique feature disappears through cremation, it is easy to ignore the sacredness of a person’s mortal remains.  Yet after cremation the right thing should be done.  The State of Wisconsin considers cremation to be final disposition.  Government then has no interest in what happens to cremated remains.  But the Catholic Church expects members to exceed the minimal requirements of the civil law.  The Catholic Church considers proper final disposition to be the placement of cremated remains in a cemetery.  Without the urgency and necessity of burying a body, the burial of a cremation can be scheduled at a convenient time.  But, too often there is no clear plan, no time certain.  The burial is left undone, done hastily, or done without the same sense of reverence.

Cremation: There are, of course, no cremation police

The Catholic Church cannot enforce any teachings about cremation and the burial of cremated remains.  The Church relies on people’s religious sensibilities and innate awareness.  Costs beyond the act of cremation are not excessive or unnecessary.  It is not the time to hunt for the novel methods of disposal and to create wholly new rituals.  Scattering or burying in a meaningful place can be cheaper and have appeal.  But, why not select a cemetery where the remains are kept for future generations.  It is satisfying to see a place where the name and dates of a loved one are permanently displayed.  It reminds you of that person’s existence and the lasting place s/he has in your life.

Cremation:  Dare to be Reverent, Predictable and Traditional

Launched into space…mixed in the concrete of a barrier reef…pressed into an artificial diamond…carried in a locket…added to paint…divided into lockets…buried in the closet…scattered across a lake or river.  Cremated remains have come to be regarded as raw materials for novel practices…or simply forgotten about.  But, aren’t they the mortal remains of a human being?  Are they not inherently precious and valuable?  Rather than doing the expected and normal, all effort goes into choosing an action and a ritual that is highly creative, personal, customized and unique.  There is no desire to incorporate religious values or traditional practices.  Cremation reduces a human body to its component parts by fire.  The hastening of the natural process should be followed by burial…with dignity and reverence.  Do the traditional.  Bury the entire cremated remains together in a cemetery.  Mark the place.  Return for a visit, for remembrance and for prayer.

Cremation:  Be in the Counterculture

The Catholic Church allows a preference for cremation.  After the cremation, the mortal remains, now reduced to the most basic elements, need to be buried.  The physical body disappears, but not all vestiges of that loved one.  Choose marked, permanent, dignified placement in a cemetery.  Those remains are the final traces of a human being, a child of God, a unique creation in the history of the universe, a baptized disciple of Christ, a temple of the Holy Spirit.  The cremated remains are not a toy or a decoration, but a serious gift.  If you are making plans for your cremation, complete the plan with your arrangements in a cemetery.  It makes sense now….and for generations to come.

Cremation:  Not Everything Goes! 

As cremation becomes more common, a casual, even careless, mindset is emerging.  The cremated remains are not claimed, not treated respectfully, not buried.  Urns and containers with labels indicated the name of the deceased languish, in undignified, unnoticed and unimportant locations.  At Holy Cross Cemetery in Milwaukee, 28 cremations were buried together in a common vault because the cremated remains were shipped to the cemetery, but no one followed through to arrange for the burial or marking of the place.  All funeral homes, cemetery offices, and crematories have unclaimed cremations.  Those that were claimed now often sit around homes, cabins, sheds, closets or garages.  Isn’t there a disconnect here?  We cherish people in life, but then, after cremation, treat their mortal remains after cremation with indifference at best and disrespect at worst.  There is a better way…there is the traditional way of cemetery burial for cremated remains.