Is there a loved one in your life who has recently departed?
We Christians recognize that by Baptism we are washed free of sin, as well as configured to Christ and incorporated into His Body. This is why, at our deepest reality, we are all brothers and sisters in Christ. Burying the Dead is one of the Corporal Works of Mercy. We recognize that the communion of Saints is the Church Militant (we who are here on earth), the Church Suffering (those souls in purgatory), and the Church Triumphant.
When a person dies in a state of grace (right relationship with God) they may immediately enter into glory or experience some purgation. At the Mass of Christian burial we the Church here on earth pray for the soul that has passed into new life to assist him/her during the time of preparation for glory. We pray for the deceased but we also pray for those who mourn the passing of a loved one that they may be comforted by our faith in the love and mercy of God.
The Mass of Christian burial (The Funeral Mass or what was formerly the Requiem Mass) is evocative of Baptism. Holy Water is used to sprinkle the coffin, the Pascal candle is lighted, the pall (white cloth) is draped over the coffin. During the Mass incense is used to reverence the body of the deceased as it was a temple of the Holy Spirit.
Typically the Funeral Director will contact the parish to make arrangements for the Funeral Mass. You will be asked to choose from some selected readings for the Mass and some hymns. The loved ones may act as lectors, pallbearers, and gift bearers.
It is important that the family take care to ensure that the remains of the deceased are properly reverenced. This means that remains ought to be interred in a Catholic cemetery with the souls of other believers as a sign of our communion of faith. If the remains are cremated, they ought to be placed in a cemetery niche or columbarium. It is understandable that we might want to keep the cremated remains at home with us because of our love for the deceased. Unfortunately, this practice can lead to great disrespect for the person we love if, because of death, old age, or simply the passage of time, the remains are discarded or misplaced. We need a place that is dignified and permanent to go to pay our respect and offer prayers for the dead.
A family seeking to have a funeral Mass at Saint James should call the parish office, fill out the form below or reach us through a funeral home to make the proper arrangements.
Catholic Cemeteries
Catholic Cemeteries of Brooklyn and Queens: http://www.ccbklyn.org
Cremation
Instruction regarding the burial of the deceased and the conservation of the ashes in the case of cremation: Ad resurgendum cum Christo (To Rise with Christ), 15 August 2016.
“In memory of the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord, the mystery that illumines the Christian meaning of death, burial of bodies is the most fitting way to express faith and hope in the resurrection of the body…. By burying the bodies of the faithful, the Church confirms her faith in the resurrection of the body, and intends to show the great dignity of the human body as an integral part of the human person whose body forms part of their identity.”
No. “The Church raises no doctrinal objections to this practice, since cremation of the deceased’s body does not affect his or her soul, nor does it prevent God, in his omnipotence, from raising up the deceased body to new life.”
“Following the most ancient Christian tradition, the Church recommends that the bodies of the deceased be buried in cemeteries or other sacred places….When, for legitimate motives, cremation has been chosen, the ashes of the faithful must be laid to rest in a sacred place, e.g. a cemetery.”
“From the earliest times, Christians have desired that the faithful departed become the objects of the Christian community’s prayers and remembrance. Their tombs have become places of prayer, remembrance and reflection.”
In order that every appearance of pantheism, naturalism or nihilism be avoided, the church does not permit anyone to “scatter the ashes of the faithful departed in the air, on land, at sea or in some other way, nor may they be preserved in mementos, pieces of jewelry or other objects.”
No. “The conservation of the ashes of the departed in a domestic residence is not permitted.”
“It prevents the faithful departed from being forgotten [by subsequent generations]... or their remains from being shown a lack of respect...”
No. “When the deceased has requested cremation and the scattering of their ashes ... a Christian funeral must be denied to that person according to the norms of the law.”
Note: The above information was summarized from the Vatican document Ad resurgendum cum Christo (To Rise with Christ), 15 August 2016.