Catholic Cremation Tradition

Death care, in search of a Catholic cremation tradition, a place for handcrafted solid wood cremation urns.

The following are some practices that make cremation agreeable to the Catholic way. The liturgy surrounding the cremation service is to use proper liturgical and Cannon Law language. Participate in the collaborative ministry of the Church. The service is to center on the bereaved, the deceased, and the Church community. The same procedures followed for a traditional funeral should be followed for a cremation. Cremated remains should always be presented in a worthy vessel, such as a wood urn.

Catholics view death as life. Because of the belief in resurrection of the body, the Catholic Church strongly maintains the need for burial of the deceased. The Church does not condone dividing cremated remains amongst family, or scattering cremated remains. The cremated remains of the body should be treated with the same respect given to the human body form which they come. This includes the use of worthy urns for ashes, the manner in which urns are carried, the care and attention to appropriate placement and transport, and the final disposition of funeral urns.

Conclusion

Much has changed since the 1917 Code of Cannon Law strictly forbade cremation except during times of plague or natural disaster. The Catholic Cemetery Conference has been working to provide basic data on the topic as well as to provide responses to some challenges facing those who minister in the Church. In doing so, the Catholic Cemetery Conference has released a publication.

“In Search of a Catholic Cremation Tradition” detailing the framework of cremation and Catholicism. Please refer to the publication for more information than provided in this article.