What is the Church’s stance on cremation?
The Church continues to prefer the practice of burying the body 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.”
The Church’s position is that during life, the human body was a temple of the Holy Spirit and should be treated with the same dignity and respect, after death, whether in full body form or cremated remains. Therefore, one wouldn’t do anything with cremated remains that one wouldn’t do with a full body — no scattering, no long-term storage in the home, no separation, no combining of ashes, and each person should have a dignified final resting place within a cemetery.
What is a mausoleum?
A mausoleum is a building (structure) designed to provide above-ground entombments for both caskets and cremated remains.
What is a columbarium?
A columbarium is a smaller, outdoor structure for above-ground entombment, specifically for cremated remains.
What is an interment fee?
The interment fee is an all-encompassing cemetery charge for the labor and equipment needed for preparing the committal site, snow and ice removal as needed, leading the procession, physical interment on a weekday completed by 3:00 PM, closing the committal site with top soil and seeding, cleaning the area for visitors, customer service, record keeping, and other overhead costs, etc. Additional fees are incurred for a Saturday committal.
How are memorial Masses at Catholic Cemeteries different than memorial Masses at a parish?
The Catholic Cemeteries monthly memorial Mass is celebrated in Holy Angels Mausoleum at Resurrection Cemetery for all those interred the previous month in all five Catholic Cemeteries. In addition, this Mass commemorates the one-year anniversary of those previously interred. All are invited and welcome to attend.
Memorial Masses at a parish have a connection to the parish family and are not cemetery specific. As such, the same loved one can be prayed for at multiple parishes and memorial Masses can be offered on a frequent basis.
I am a Catholic but my spouse is not. Can he or she be buried in a Catholic Cemetery?
Yes. We have many faiths interred in our Catholic Cemeteries by virtue of marriage or heritage.
A family member has been cremated. Can we bury the ashes in another grave?
The answer to this question depends on how the burial rights were/are purchased. Most of the burial rights at Catholic Cemeteries have been purchased only allowing for a single interment (casket or cremation) in a specified location, and in these cases, we will not allow another (cremation) interment to be added to this location. If a single burial right in a casket-sized location has been purchased but not yet used, the burial right owner may purchase the upgraded burial rights allowing for either 2 cremations or 1 casket/1 cremation. While this is a popular option allowing family members to be interred closer together, this may require additional expenses with regards to the memorial marker, monument, crypt panel, etc so that all interred persons are memorialized respectfully. Please contact one of our counselors to learn more.
