Bulletin Q&A Article, published 11-12-23:
I prefer to be laid to rest in a Catholic cemetery, but if not, what are the Church’s views on public cemeteries or scattered ashes?
As outlined in the bulletin a few weeks ago, from November 2 to November 8, there was an opportunity to gain a plenary indulgence for a soul in Purgatory by making a visit to a cemetery. So I have recently made daily cemetery visits, sometimes to our own parish cemetery, Mt. Loretto, and sometimes to the public cemetery down the road from where I live.
Catholic cemeteries are special, however. They, along with churches, are the only places considered sacred. Canon #1205 states: “Sacred places are those which are designated for divine worship or for the burial of the faithful by a dedication or a blessing.” And Canon #1240 states: “Where possible, the Church is to have its own cemeteries or at least areas in civil cemeteries that are designated for the deceased members of the faithful and properly blessed. If this cannot be achieved, however, then individual graves are to be properly blessed.” At one time it was a tradition that Catholics be buried in a Catholic cemetery. While it is no longer a requirement, it is still the preferred option.
Fortunately, in addition to parish cemeteries like ours, there are many additional options for Catholics in the Detroit area. The Catholic Funeral & Cemetery Services of the Archdiocese has its own group of five cemeteries. The Mt. Olivet Cemetery Association boasts an additional six. I contacted them to be certain of their status. The director of their Guardian Angel facility responded: “Mt. Elliott Cemetery Association is a Catholic Organization with each of our cemeteries being consecrated as Catholic Cemeteries. We allow burials of all Christian Faiths.”
The Rite of Committal conducted at the cemetery offers a prayer for graves that are not blessed: “Lord Jesus Christ, by your own three days in the tomb, you hallowed the graves of all who believe in you and so made the grave a sign of hope that promises resurrection even as it claims our mortal bodies. Grant that our brother/sister may sleep here in peace until you awaken him/her to glory, for you are the resurrection and the life. Then he/she will see you face to face and in your light will see light and know the splendor of God, for you live and reign for ever and ever. Amen.”
Canon #1176 states: “The Church earnestly recommends that the pious custom of burying the bodies of the deceased be observed; nevertheless, the Church does not prohibit cremation unless it was chosen for reasons contrary to Christian doctrine.” Prior to 1963 cremation was not allowed, not because it in itself was considered an intrinsically evil act, but because some used cremation to attack the Church’s teaching on the resurrection of the body. A 2016 Instruction from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Ad resurgendum cum Christo (To rise again with Christ), states: “In circumstances when cremation is chosen because of sanitary, economic or social considerations, this choice must never violate the explicitly-stated or the reasonably inferable wishes of the deceased faithful. The Church raises no doctrinal objections to this practice, since cremation of the deceased’s body does not affect his or her soul, nor does it prevent God, in his omnipotence, from raising up the deceased body to new life.”
With regard to respect for the ashes, the Order of Christian Funerals states: “The cremated remains of a body should be treated with the same respect given to the human body from which they come. This includes the use of a worthy vessel to contain the ashes, the manner in which they are carried, the care and attention to appropriate placement and transport, and the final disposition. The cremated remains should be buried in a grave or entombed in a mausoleum or columbarium. The practice of scattering cremated remains on the sea, from the air, or on the ground, or keeping cremated remains in the home of a relative or friend of the deceased are not the reverent disposition that the Church requires.” Also, Ad Resurgendum cum Christo gives this additional reason for proper disposition of ashes: “The reservation of the ashes of the departed in a sacred place ensures that they are not excluded from the prayers and remembrance of their family or the Christian community.”