As we approach the month of November, the month of prayer for the faithful departed, we reaffirm our faith in the "resurrection of the dead" as we profess in our Creed every Sunday and Feast Day. Our belief that Jesus suffered, died, and rose to life again is rooted in Scripture, in the lived experience of the Christian faith, in the promise by Jesus that all who profess faith in him can anticipate eternal life. Yet, we know that our doctrine on Purgatory reminds us of the reality of sin and our own need to be cleansed before we enter the eternal bliss of Heaven before God. Thus, by ancient tradition we pray during November that all the faithful departed, wherever they may be, are cleansed in God's abundant act of final mercy before entering eternal life.
Our funeral service reflects this belief. While the Church for all good reasons, continue to much prefer that the body of the deceased be present at least for the funeral service, more and more are choosing cremation after death and bring the urn to the funeral liturgy - or "Mass of Christian Hope" as we call it here at this parish.
There may be some confusion, then, as to how one must properly treat the cremated remains (cremains) of a loved one after the funeral service. The Vatican has recently published those guidelines in the link below. As the body of the deceased is buried in the ground with all dignity and respect, so must the cremains be treated in the same way.
Click on the link below for a very helpful read:
Our funeral service reflects this belief. While the Church for all good reasons, continue to much prefer that the body of the deceased be present at least for the funeral service, more and more are choosing cremation after death and bring the urn to the funeral liturgy - or "Mass of Christian Hope" as we call it here at this parish.
There may be some confusion, then, as to how one must properly treat the cremated remains (cremains) of a loved one after the funeral service. The Vatican has recently published those guidelines in the link below. As the body of the deceased is buried in the ground with all dignity and respect, so must the cremains be treated in the same way.
Click on the link below for a very helpful read:
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