Healing, Helping and Hospitality
We extend our deepest sympathies to those suffering a loss. The first step in planning a funeral should be to contact the parish office after contacting a funeral home. The cathedral staff will coordinate with the family to plan the date and time of the funeral and to set up a meeting with the family and to discuss details of the Funeral Liturgy
The cremated remains of a body should be treated with the same respect given to the human body from which they come. This includes the use of a worthy vessel to contain the ashes, the manner in which they are carried, and the care and attention to appropriate placement and transport, and the final disposition. The cremated remains should be buried in a grave or entombed in a mausoleum or columbarium. The practice of scattering cremated remains on the sea, from the air, or on the ground, or keeping cremated remains on the home of a relative or friend of the deceased are not the reverent disposition that the Church requires.
Ideally, if a family chooses cremation, the cremation would take place at some time after the Funeral Mass, so that there can be an opportunity for the Vigil for the Deceased in the presence of the body (during “visitation” or “viewing” at a church or funeral home). This allows for the appropriate reverence for the sacredness of the body at the Funeral Mass: sprinkling with holy water, the placing of the pall, and honoring it with incense. The Rite of Committal then takes place after cremation.
When cremation takes place before the Funeral Mass, rites are adapted and the burial and committal at the cemetary should take place directly afterwards.
We believe that life begins at conception and are honored when a family allows us to offer a funeral service for a child who died in the womb or through a miscarriage. Pleae contact our office to arrange for this.
In times of death and grief the Christian turns to the Lord for consolation and strength. This is especially true when a child dies before birth. This blessing is provided to assist the parents in their grief and console them with the blessing of God. From the Book of Blessings