Although the Catholic Church prefers that families choose burial for deceased relatives, it does allow cremation. Scattering ashes is prohibited, though. The church specifies that the ashes be permanently placed in a sacred resting space. A Catholic funeral home service in San Pablo assists families with these arrangements.
Church Preferences and Practical Considerations
The church wants members to hold a prayer vigil and funeral instead of a memorial service. However, families increasingly are choosing the memorial service without a funeral mass. Many cannot afford a funeral, even without the cost of burying a casket. They would still need to rent a casket for the visitation and have the body embalmed and prepared for viewing. A funeral home service in San Pablo helps the immediate relatives make decisions if needed and sets up the arrangements.
Sacred Spaces and Respect
The ashes can be placed in an urn and buried in a cemetery or kept in a mausoleum. Both of these options should be affiliated with the Catholic Church. Scattering ashes is believed to be disrespectful. The body’s remains must stay together.
In addition, ashes are not supposed to be kept at home since that is not considered a sacred space. Since the ashes must not be separated, no family members can remove any to keep. Nobody can take even a tiny amount to put in a locket or have infused into jewelry.
Families needing to make arrangements for cremation and placement of ashes may contact St. Joseph Cemetery & Funeral Center.
