For centuries Roman Catholics did not accept cremation as a way of burial except in emergency situations such as plague or public necessity. The roots of this opposition go back to three sources: 1) a strong belief in the body as temple of the Holy Spirit and precious; 2) the view from early Christian days that cremation was a pagan practice in opposition to Christian beliefs; and, 3) the choice of cremation both early on and in much more recent centuries as a symbolic way of denying the resurrection of the dead. However in our life time – since 1963 (that’s for the last 38 years!) the Church has officially allowed cremation along with Christian burial and it’s popularity (if that’s the right word) among Catholics has grown steadily. An estimated 20% of all funerals in the United States involve cremation; however here at Christ the King, and probably in all our neighboring parishes, the percentage is much higher – at least 50% and possibly more. We’ve had five funerals scheduled this week, from Monday to Monday, and all five included cremation.

Obviously times have changed and the ancient reasons for opposition to cremation seldom if ever apply any more. Families choose cremation for economic reasons, for convenience for distant relatives to have time to arrive, for practical, pastoral reasons that have nothing whatsoever to do with pagan practices, denial of resurrection, or disrespect for the body. The Church’s decision to allow cremation recognizes that it sometimes best meets the needs of the family.

The celebration of funeral rites around cremation take a variety of forms; but for that matter, funerals with the body present also take a variety of forms today. In some cases there is a funeral vigil, and funeral mass with the body present, followed by cremation and a placing of the ashes in the Catholic cemetery at a later date. More often cremation takes place early on; a memorial mass is scheduled at the convenience of the family, sometimes with cremains present, sometimes without; a picture of the deceased is often placed near the altar. The remains are most often placed at the Catholic cemetery with a brief grave side ceremony; in other cases the family retains the ashes.

The rituals of our Church adapt (sometimes a bit slowly) to the cultural needs of its members. Sometimes the outward rites change, but basic beliefs and values are not sacrificed. Above all, as parish and Church, we need to support one another through grief, and honor the life and memory of the departed.