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| Death: Our Birth into Eternal life
Damian Lenshek |
The following article is the next installment in a series that will appear in the Catholic Herald to offer catechesis and formation concerning end of life decisions, dying, death, funerals, and burial of the dead from the Catholic perspective.
Making cemetery arrangements can be daunting, and having to do so at a time of need can be downright distressing.
One of the causes of this anxiety is the vocabulary. Some of the words associated with cemeteries are rarely used in other contexts.
In an attempt to make the cemetery a little less mysterious, here are some of the words that you might encounter.
Committal — the final of the three stages of the Catholic funeral liturgy, held graveside whenever possible, or in the cemetery chapel if required by the weather.
This is the final bodily service we can offer to our loved ones in this world. The committal follows immediately after the funeral, and often the priest who said the funeral Mass will also celebrate the committal.
However, this is one rite that can be led by a layperson, usually a friend or member of the family.
Crypt — In our diocesan cemeteries, a crypt is an above-ground final resting place for full-body (rather than cremated) remains in one of our mausoleums.
Our mausoleums are all above-ground. This might be a little confusing, because the crypt in some churches is an underground chamber that is used for burial.
Columbarium — a structure, often made of granite, for the repose of cremated remains.
A columbarium is made up of niches in which urns containing cremated remains are placed. Some niches are large enough to accommodate two or, less commonly, three urns.
Cremains — this is funeral industry jargon for human cremated remains, and in my opinion does not convey adequate respect for our beloved departed.
I had never heard it until I became a cemeterian (another new word for me, one that is useful in my line of work).
“Cremains” reminds me of other made-up words from advertising, like craisin or berrylicious. In my opinion, ashes is a better term for cremated remains, even though they are not precisely ashes.
Cenotaph — a monument in the absence of a body, often commemorating those who died in a war. The word comes from the Greek for “empty tomb.”
If, for whatever reason, you are unable to lay your loved one to rest in a cemetery, or they are already buried far away, you can erect a monument to their memory as a focus of personal prayer.
Although “cenotaph” usually refers to a formal memorial, sometimes items such as benches or pavers in the cemetery are available to dedicate with memorial inscriptions.
Resurrection Cemetery currently has bricks available for inscription around our new columbarium. See madisondiocese.org/statue for more information.
Easement — This is the legal term for what you get when you “buy a grave.” You are buying the right to be buried in that spot, not buying the ground itself, which continues to be owned by the cemetery.
Second right of burial — When you buy a grave at the cemetery, you get a right to be buried in a certain spot.
It is often possible for cremated remains to be buried on top of an initial full-body burial. For this, the cemetery offers a second right of burial in the same grave.
Why is this desirable? Usually, it is because there are no available graves nearby an established family plot.
Second rights of burial are only available to family members of the grave owner, with the grave owner’s position.
Green burial — “Green” burial means questioning and modifying various modern burial practices in the light of their environmental impact; for instance, by forgoing embalming or by using a simple bier and shroud rather than a casket and vault.
Some Catholics are suspicious of green burial as somehow untraditional, but as Catholics, we understand that we are stewards of creation. In most of the world throughout most of history, green burial was just called burial.
Embalming only became common in America during the Civil War, so war dead could be transported home.
Funeral homes are almost always willing to accommodate those who would like to plan a green burial, and the diocesan cemeteries also allow some green options.
Indulgences — In simple terms, gaining an indulgence for the dead is a way of doing something that alleviates some or even all of their suffering in Purgatory.
I mention indulgences because, in November, we have two special opportunities.
First, we can gain an indulgence for souls in Purgatory each day that we visit a cemetery between November 1 and November 8.
Another indulgence for the souls in Purgatory is available when the faithful piously visit a church or a public oratory on All Souls Day (November 2).
To gain the indulgences, say one “Our Father” and recite the Creed when you visit the cemetery, church, or oratory.
For a full indulgence, you also have to go to Confession, receive Communion, and pray for the intentions of the pope.
Throughout the year, there is also an indulgence attached to the traditional prayer for the dead: Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
Damian Lenshek is the director of cemeteries for the Diocese of Madison.