since you asked…
In the November NCC, your theme was “burying the dead.” It reminded me of a question I’ve been meaning to ask: What does the Church say about cremation?
This month with Msgr. Tim O’Connor
During the month of November, it is our custom as Roman Catholics to remember our loved ones who have died, especially on November 2nd, as we celebrate the Liturgy for All Souls. In the First Preface for a Funeral Mass, we read these words: “When the body of our earthly dwelling lies in death we gain an everlasting dwelling place in heaven.” This being our belief, the Church takes special responsibility to offer us liturgies that will meet our spiritual needs, especially at the moment of the death of a loved one. In recent times, questions have been raised concerning cremation and the position of our Church regarding this practice. By way of questions and answers, let us look at the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church in this regard.
Can I be cremated?
Yes. In Canon 1203 of the 1917 Code of Canon Law cremation was forbidden. On May 8, 1963, in the instruction Piam et Constantem issued by the Holy Office, now known to us as the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the prohibition was lifted, allowing cremation. This permission was incorporated into the revised Code of Canon Law of 1983 in Canon 1176. This practice of cremation was also incorporated into the Order of Christian Funerals in 1997.
When should cremation take place?
The Church clearly prefers that the body of the deceased be present for the funeral Mass and that cremation follow the Mass before the Celebration of the Rite of Committal. The presence of the human body better expresses the value which the Church affirms in her rites.
How does the Church believe that the presence of the body better expresses the value affirmed in her rites?
The Bishop’s Committee on the Liturgy in 1997 issued a document entitled “Reflections on the Body, Cremation and the Catholic Funeral Rites”. We read from that document the answer to our question. “This is the body once washed in baptism, anointed with the oil of salvation, and fed with the bread of life. This is the body whose hands clothed the poor and embraced the sorrowing. Our identity and self-consciousness as a human person are expressed in and through the body. Indeed, the body is the ‘primordial sacrament’ that makes the life and love of God present in the world. Thus, the Church’s reverence and care for the body grows out of a reverence and concern for the person whom the Church now commends to the care of God.”
In extraordinary circumstances can the cremated remains of the body be present at the Funeral Liturgy?
Yes. The American Bishops at their Plenary Assembly on Nov 12, 1996 approved an adaptation to the Order of Christian Funerals to allow for the cremains to be present at the Funeral Liturgy. On July 30, 1997 the Congregation for the Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments confirmed by decree this allowance in the ritual.
Must the cremated remains be buried?
Yes. In respect for the person’s body that was the dwelling place of our souls, the Church requires that the cremated remains of our loved ones should be entombed in a mausoleum or in a columbarium; they may also be buried in a grave in a cemetery. Whenever possible, appropriate means for memorializing the deceased should be utilized, such as a plaque or stone that records the name of the deceased.
What is a columbarium?
It is a structure that has niches in which an urn is placed, with the cremated remains of our loved ones in perpetual memorial. These structures are not only located on the grounds of cemeteries, but a growing number of our churches either have or are in the process of building them.
May I scatter the ashes of the person cremated?
No. In the Order of Christian Funeral II #417 we read the following: “The practice of scattering cremated remains on the sea, from the air, or on the ground, or keeping cremated remains in the home of a relative or friend of the deceased are not the reverent disposition that the Church requires.”
May the cremated remains of a loved one be buried at sea?
Yes. In the Order of Christian Funerals #406.4 we find the appropriate prayer to be used. Burial at sea of the cremated remains of a loved one is different from scattering the ashes. An appropriate container that is heavy enough to be sent to its final resting place can be dropped into the sea. While the Church allows the burial at sea, obviously consultation with authorities would be required for environmental regulations.
Reverend Monsignor Tim O’Connor, V.F., is Director of the Diocesan Office of Liturgy and Pastor of St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Cary.