What is cremation?
Cremation (using fire and heat) is the process by which the body of the deceased is reduced to its basic elements. Cremation is permitted for Catholics as long as it is not chosen in denial of Christian teaching on the Resurrection and the sacredness of the human body.
Does the Church have a preference for either cremation or burial of the body of the deceased?
Although cremation is permitted, Catholic teaching continues to stress the preference for burial or entombment of the body of the deceased. This is done in imitation of the burial of Jesus’s body. “This is the Body once washed in baptism, anointed with the oil of salvation, and fed with the bread of life. Our identity and self-consciousness as a human person are expressed in and through the body. 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.” (Reflections on the Body, Cremation, and Catholic Funeral Rites, Committee on the Liturgy, USCCB, 1997)
Similarly in 2016, the then-Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (now called a Dicastery) published Ad resurgendum cum Christo (To Rise with Christ) to further clarify the Church’s teaching on burial and cremation. Paragraph 3 says:
Following the most ancient Christian tradition, the Church insistently recommends that the bodies of the deceased be buried in cemeteries or other sacred places. In memory of the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord, the mystery that illumines the Christian meaning of death, burial is above all the most fitting way to express faith and hope in the resurrection of the body. The Church who, as Mother, has accompanied the Christian during his earthly pilgrimage, offers to the Father, in Christ, the child of her grace, and she commits to the earth, in hope, the seed of the body that will rise in glory.
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. She cannot, therefore, condone attitudes or permit rites that involve erroneous ideas about death, such as considering death as the definitive annihilation of the person, or the moment of fusion with Mother Nature or the universe, or as a stage in the cycle of regeneration, or as the definitive liberation from the “prison” of the body.
The entire Instruction from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith can be viewed here: Ad resurgendum cum Christo
What are the steps to be taken?
When cremation is chosen for a good reason, the full course of the Order of Christian Funerals should still be celebrated, including the Vigil, the Funeral Liturgy, and the Rite of Committal. The preservation of this order allows for the greater expression of our beliefs and values, especially, the sacredness of human life, the dignity of the individual person and the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the first born of the dead. Through its funeral rites, the Church commends the dead to the merciful love of God and pleads for the forgiveness of their sins.
Should cremation occur before or after the funeral?
The Church clearly prefers and urges that the body be present during Vigil and Funeral Mass, and that if cremation is to be used, it take place following the Rite of Final Commendation. The cremated human remains would then be interred during the Rite of Committal. However, it is permissible for cremated remains to be present for the Funeral Liturgy. In this case, ritual and text adaptations are thereby made by the presiding minister.
What should become of the cremated remains following the funeral?
Church teaching insists that cremated remains must be given the same respect as the body, including the manner in which they are carried, the attention given to their appropriate transport, and placement. The cremated remains of a body are to be buried or entombed, preferably in a Catholic cemetery, and using the rites provided by the Order of Christian Funerals.
The following are not considered to be reverent dispositions that the Church requires and under no circumstances should any Catholic permit them: scattering cremated remains on land or in the sea, dividing cremated remain between family members, placing cremated remains in jewelry, and keeping cremated remains in the home. Once again, the remains of a cremated body are to be treated with the same respect given to the corporeal remains of a human body. This respect also includes the furnishing of worthy container to hold the cremated remains during its burial.
Conclusion
If you are considering cremation, it is wise to discuss your choice with your family, your parish priest, or the Catholic Cemetery office representatives. For further information on Catholic teachings on cremation, see the 1997 statement of the Bishops’ Committee on the Liturgy, Reflections on the Body, Cremation, and Catholic Funeral Rites, available from USCCB publications (800-235-8722).