I. Be a Part of A Life-Giving Parish Community! If you are a registered parishioner, you should have recently received a letter from me talking about three components that make up a life-giving community!
PRAYER—Private and communal (especially the communal prayer of Eucharist and the Sacraments);
HOSPITALITY—Members feel they belong and are appreciated. The attitude would be: “this is my parish; it’s success or failure depends on my being open and hospitable.”
SERVICE: The true disciple needs and wants to serve, following the example of Jesus. Selfless service in riches one’s life.
Thanks to the 101 families who have returned their stewardship commitment. Prayerfully review the possibilities in the booklet you received in the mail. Please return this Time/Talent/and Treasure pledge as a grateful offering to God by Thanksgiving Day, November 28. Thanksgiving is about recognizing my blessings and sharing them gratefully! If you did not receive a packet, extras are available at the doors of church or the Parish Office.
II. Funeral Planning Session: everyone is welcome to attend a presentation to assist you with funeral arrangements and liturgy planning on Monday, November 18 at 6:00pm in our Community Center. James Wells and myself will present basics for planning the funeral liturgy, along with music and Scripture selections. Finally, parishioner James Warren will give information on services offered by Hospice of Western Kentucky. There will be a representative from Haley-McGinnis Funeral Home to discuss funeral planning and the burial process. If you have questions, there will be time for those to be addressed. Light refreshments will be available. Open to the public!
III. Must the CREMATED REMAINS be BURIED or ENTOMBED? Yes. Respectful final disposition of cremated remains involves interment or entombment. Burial options include a family grave in a cemetery or an urn garden, a special section in a cemetery with small, pre-dug graves for urns. A common practice is the entombment of the cremated remains in a “columbarium,” which is an arrangement of niches, either in a mausoleum, a room or wall into which an urn or other worthy vessel is placed for permanent memorial. The practice of keeping cremated remains in the home of a relative/friend of the deceased is not considered the reverent disposition that the Church requires (Order of Christian Funerals, appendix II #417).
IV. May I SCATTER the Cremated Remains? No. The practice of scattering cremated remains on the sea, from the air, or on the ground, or keeping cremated remains in the home of a relative/friend of the deceased are not considered the “reverent disposition” that the Church requires (Order of Christian Funerals, appendix II #417). Burial at sea of cremated remains differs from scattering. An appropriate and worthy container, heavy enough to be sent to its final resting place, may be dropped into the sea (See Order of Christian Funerals, #406.4). Local government should be consulted for environmental regulations.
V. Why Does the Church Consider the BODY so Important? “This is the body once washed in Baptism, anointed with the oil of salvation, and fed with the Bread of Life and Cup of Salvation. This is the body whose hands clothed the poor, fed the hungry, and embraced the sorrowing. Thus, the Church’s reverence and care for the body grows out of the reverence and concern for the person whom the Church now commends to the care of God. However, when circumstances prevent the presence of the body at the funeral liturgy it is appropriate that the cremated remains of the body be present for the full course of the funeral rites, including the Vigil for the Deceased, the Funeral Liturgy, and the Rite of Committal. The funeral liturgy should always be celebrated in a church.” (Reflections on the Body, Cremation, and Catholic Funeral Rites, Bishops’ Committee on the Liturgy)