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Memorializing a Catholic Friend
By Thomas P. Elderville
Catholics have always been confused about the Church's
view on cremation. It used to be when a Catholic passed
away, and chose to be cremated they were unable to
celebrate the funeral rite. Instead, the church allowed
a Rite of Committal followed by a memorial mass a few
weeks later. Most Catholics feel cheated by this stance,
especially with the increase in people choosing the
cremation option.
Cremation is the New Trend
In the United States there is a national trend which
expected to get as high as 33 percent of people choosing
cremation; in some states it already as high as 50
percent. Most people chose to be cremated because of the
cost; no cost associated with use of funeral home.
Others choose cremation because of the convenience,
especially if the death occurred far away from home.
That was the case when Jennifer passed away in a tragic
accident while traveling in Thailand. She was on a much
needed vacation. However the cost of flying her remains
back to the United States was astronomical especially
for her financially pressed family. They wanted to
cremate Jennifer but did not what the Catholic Church's
stance on cremation was. The pastor explained that back
in 1963, the Catholic Church on an instruction from the
Congregation of the Doctrine of Faith lifted the ban on
cremation. A few years later in 1969, the Catholic
Church allowed for the Committal Rite to take place at
the graveside. Still no provisions were made about
having a Funeral Mass with cremains (cremated remains)
but this changed in 1997.
The Catholic Church Changes its View on Cremation
On March 1997 the Vatican granted authority to Bishops
the right to decide whether a diseased person's cremains
should allowed to be present at Catholic funeral Mass.
The Bishop does this case by case. As time was running
short the pastor and Jennifer's family felt that the
bishop would grant their request and went ahead and had
her remains cremated in Thailand. There were
stipulations which included placing Jennifer's remains
in a 'worthy vessel.' The family chose an urn that they
felt would properly befit Jennifer and her adventurous
spirit. The urn they chose could be buried, although it
had to be placed in a vault to prevent the ground from
giving way around the urn. Not only did the family
fulfill the requirements of the Catholic Church but they
also served Jennifer well. Jennifer was an
environmentally friendly individual always encouraging
her family to live green. By choosing an urn they had
successful help her to protect the environment; by not
choosing a coffin made from wood had saved some trees.
Finding the Right Keepsake
The Catholic Church is very explicit about the teaching
of honoring the remains however the jury is still out on
the Catholic Church's teaching on scattering remains and
keeping remains keepsake urns. However, Jennifer's
family chose to purchase keepsake urns and keep some
Jennifer's material possessions in them. Jennifer's
mother keeps her daughter's lock of hair in the small
urn that she has on her mantle. Her sister chose to have
a Keepsake Rosary. She placed a crushed flower petal
that she had pulled off the funeral bouquet in the
cross, so when she prays the Rosary she remembers her
sister. Catholics have always been confused about the
Church's view on cremation. It used to be when a
Catholic passed away, and chose to be cremated they were
unable to celebrate the funeral rite. Instead, the
church allowed a Rite of Committal followed by a
memorial mass a few weeks later. Most Catholics feel
cheated by this stance, especially with the increase in
people choosing the cremation option.
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