In March 2023, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Committee on Doctrine responded to a question that has been popping up here and there about two new ways of treating human remains.
Tag: burial
Disposition decisions, part two
In the first part of this article, we looked at why Catholics might want faithful, affordable, and environmentally sustainable burial.
Disposition decisions, part one
Over the last decade or more, state legislatures around the country have considered legalizing alkaline hydrolysis as a method of disposing of human remains.
Thinking about green burial
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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.
St. Anthony the Great had a problem. He was 105 years old, he lived in fourth-century Egypt, and he was famous.
He did not want to be embalmed. But the common practice at the death of eminent personages such as himself was to preserve them, pose them on couches, and to keep them in their houses.
This was intended to honor the deceased.Planning a Catholic funeral and burial
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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.
One of the saddest situations I encounter is when a daily Mass attendee, after decades of devotion, dies and does not receive a Catholic funeral or burial.
Usually, this happens when the deceased’s children are not practicing Catholics and, either through ignorance or rejection of the Faith, do not seek a funeral Mass for their devout parent.Truth and meaning in death
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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.
Death has taken a prominent place in the headlines this past year, as in the public consciousness.
Daily death counts are now part of every day’s news.Understanding cemetery jargon
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.
Memorial Day in the time of COVID-19
MADISON — In years past, volunteers would walk our cemeteries, placing flags on the graves of veterans in preparation for Memorial Day.
Often, groups of 20 or more, including Marines, Scouts, and other patriotic societies, would gather for this tribute to those who have offered the ultimate sacrifice for the good of the nation.
This year, these tributes are being scaled back or canceled because of distancing requirements — have you ever seen groups of young Scouts stay six feet apart?
Seminar ‘Now and at the Hour of Our Death’ offered
MADISON — The Diocese of Madison will offer a free seminar on the Catholic approach to funerals, burial, and estate planning on Tuesday, March 31, at 1 p.m. at Holy Name Heights. The Office of Worship led similar seminars periodically over the last five years. This time, personnel from the Office of Stewardship and Development and the Department of Cemeteries will present and answer questions as well.
“These seminars have always been popular,” said Dr. Pat Gorman, director of the Office of Worship. When the seminar was held last November, about 60 people from all over the diocese attended. “I especially focus on the liturgical rites — vigil, funeral, and committal, and what can be done now to plan them. With this new format, we have a chance to address a broader range of topics,” said Gorman.How Church views the use of cremation
To the editor:
“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” (canon 1176.3).