Nov. 5, 2016 – West Bend, WI – A very special ceremony this past week on All Souls Day, Tuesday, Nov. 1, as members of St. Mary’s Parish and St. Frances Cabrini gathered to bury the cremated remains of their loved ones.
“This was something very special and unique,” said Rev. Nathan Reesman.
“All who participated by bringing the remains of their loved ones to be buried found a real sense of peace and closure in the ritual, and in the act of observing our ancient Christian practices.”
Rev. Reesman said he was “so grateful for everyone’s participation and for their sincere care they showed their loved ones by burying their remains.”
In this week’s bulletin Rev. Reesman writes, “Related to this is the long-standing Christian opposition to cremation upon death in favor of a bodily burial after the pattern of the burial of our Savior in the tomb, and in such a manner that conveys our unshakable respect for a person’s unique identity as a child of God even after they have died. Cremation was only recently allowed as an exception for unusual burial circumstances, provided it was not done out of any mistaken beliefs about salvation, as a recent Vatican document once again made clear (see Ad resurgendum cum Christo, 2016).
Cremation is allowed but it is not preferred. And if one is cremated, they MUST be buried in a grave or in a crypt with Catholic burial rites.