Ask Fr. Leo: Burial and cremation

Dear U.T., 

I’m very sorry for your loss. May your relative rest in peace. 

The Church is very benevolent in her norms regarding the disposition of one’s remains, but it is helpful to see it in the broader context. 

The Order of Christian Funerals has three main rites: the Vigil for the Deceased, the Funeral Mass, and the Committal. 

The Vigil for the Deceased, sometimes called a wake or a celebration of life, is a gathering of the family, friends and members of the faithful in the presence of the body to mourn and to celebrate the life of the dearly departed. It is a time to look back on their life and thank God for the blessing that they were and to acknowledge the pain of loss at their passing. Depending on your culture of origin, the Vigil will have different expressions. My own father’s wake was one of the most outrageous gatherings Anchorage has ever seen. We started out by having everyone pray the prayers of Vigil, we had six people give words of remembrance as well as a eulogy proper, then we ate and drank and shared stories, some of which were actually true. (Well, if they didn’t happen exactly the way they were told, they should have!) In sum, the main purpose is to look back and celebrate their life. 

By contrast, at the Funeral Mass we turn our gaze towards eternity and commend the departed into the loving arms of his or her creator. It is a celebration of the Mass with special prayers at various times ending with the final commendation of their soul to Almighty God. All the symbols used in a Funeral Mass are the same symbols that were used at the person’s baptism. The casket is sprinkled with holy water as a recalling of the waters of baptism. Then the white pall is placed on their casket, just as their white baptismal garment was placed on them following their baptism. The paschal candle, from which all baptismal candles are lit, is placed prominently in the sanctuary symbolizing Christ the Light of the World, a light which no darkness can extinguish. Most importantly are their remains. This was the body that was baptized, that received communion, that was anointed. It was the body that loved one’s spouse and children and now awaits the resurrection of the dead on the last day. 

A word about cremation here. In Alaska, for financial and also for practical reasons, cremation is much more common than in other parts of the country. If possible, it is better to have the body at the Vigil and the Funeral Mass and then have cremation and burial take place afterwards. 

It’s important to remember that cremation is simply technologically accelerated decomposition. The process does in ten hours what it takes nature to do in ten decades. There is actually no burning of the remains. Using extreme heat, all moisture is removed and then the body goes through a process which reduces it to the more or less powdery consistency you may have seen. With this in mind, the Church treats them like what they are — the mortal remains of a fellow Christian, worthy of being treated with all the dignity thereof. 

This becomes important in the final part of the Order of Christian Funerals: the Rite of Committal of the mortal remains to their final resting place. The Rite of Committal is fairly short and involves the blessing of the final resting place, the burial or interment of the remains, some general intercessions, the Lord’s Prayer and a final blessing. Ideally, this happens immediately following the Funeral Mass, but it can take place at a later date. However, it should not be delayed for too long a period of time. Whenever it happens, the Church is very clear that the remains of a baptized Christian, whether in bodily or cremated form, are to be buried or interred whole and entire in a sacred place with a suitable marker. A body in a casket is buried in a grave or interred in a mausoleum. Burials at sea are allowed, but there should be a marker somewhere. The Mariner’s Church in Detroit is a good example of one such place. The same holds true for cremated remains. They are to be buried or interred in a columbarium with a suitable marker. The columbarium at St. Patrick’s in Anchorage or the one at the Shrine of St. Thérèse just north of Juneau are lovely places dedicated for this purpose, among others. 

Wherever the departed Christian’s remains are placed, it is there that they will await the resurrection of the dead and life of the world to come.