Cremation For Catholics?

Q: My family has always held the view that as Catholics, we cannot be cremated. I know that at one time, it (cremation) was considered taboo. What is the official church position on cremation for a Catholic?

A: The Catholic Church references cremation in the 1918 Code of Canon Law by stating "the Church permits cremation, provided that it does not demonstrate a denial of faith in the resurrection of the body." (#2301) Previously, the church held that earth burial in a tomb was Christlike, and that destruction of the body by cremation denied the resurrection of the dead and the immorality of the soul.

Catholics are now able to choose cremation "in case of necessity" according to a 1997 publication from the National Conference of Catholic Bishops titled "Reflections on the Body, Cremation and Catholic Funeral Rites", although "The Church earnestly recommends the pious custom of burial be retained; but it does not forbid cremation, unless this is chosen for reasons which are contrary to Christian teaching". (Code of Canon Law, # 1176, revised 1983)

When a family chooses cremation, the Church prefers that the body be present for a Funeral Mass, then cremated following committal rites. The church does permit, when not practically feasible for the body to be present, the cremated body "enclosed in a fitting container or worthy vessel" to be present at a Funeral Mass.

Why such concern for the body, one may ask? People of Catholic faith believe that care for the deceased emphasizes the dignity of the human body. Proper care of the body following death emphasizes the church held belief in personal resurrection. Following a Funeral Mass, and once cremation is completed, church preference is for the cremated remains to be buried in a grave or committed to a niche in a columbarium at a consecrated cemetery. Scattering cremated remains over private property or at sea, or retaining the cremated body in the home, is considered contrary to a reverent disposition of a body.

Local Parish Priests will gladly answer your individual questions regarding cremation.

My family has created a brochure concerning cremation and the Catholic faith. You can receive a free copy of this brochure by calling us at 386-328-1414 or request online at http://wattsfuneralhomes.com/_mgxroot/page_10777.php

Honoring Those that serve!

I hope everyone enjoyed Veterans Day and I hope you all took a moment to honor those that have served our country and those that are still serving at home and abroad. I took a moment to pause and reflect on those who I personally know that have served, they include my grandfathers, uncles, and friends. If they are still living I encourage you to call them and say than you for what you did. I watching a movie this week called "Saving Private Ryan" while the story line itself is not true the circumstances surrounding the story are very real. The story is written around the Allies storming Omaha Beach. While the scenes are some what disturbing, it gives you a cold does of reality of those that have given their life to defend this country we love so much. In honor of all that that have served our family has created a video to honor them. You can view the video above, it is worth saying that this video is only a small way of saying thank you for what you do. I would like to leave you all with this, while today is veterans day don't just make today the only day you stop to say thank you to those that serve and have served. Do as I do when you are out in the community and come across someone in uniform or that you know has served or is serving, stop them and say thank you. After all those that have placed themselves in harms way to protect our freedom's don't just do it one day of the year, they do it twenty four seven three sixty five. We should always take the opportunity to say thank you. I would like to end by saying " Thank You To All Military Service Men And Women Who Have Served Our Country And Our Allies. It Is Because Of You That We Can Enjoy The Freedoms We Have And Can Live In The Greatest Country In The World.

Code Of Ethical Cremation Practices

In this blogg you will see our Cremation Code of Ethics. My family believes very strongly that our staff should be given a guide on how to care for the families we serve. We believe that the care of your loved one should never be left to the individual interpretation of our staff. I hope you will find this post helpful.

What We Believe...

In the practice of cremation, we believe: In dignity and respect in the care of the deceased, in compassion for the living who survive them, and in the memorialization of life.

We believe we are responsible for creating and maintaining an atmosphere of respect at all times; We believe that the greatest care should be taken in the appointment of crematory staff members, any of whom must not, by conduct or demeanor bring the crematory or cremation into disrepute.

We believe the care of the decease person and their family is of the highest priority in what we do.
And the everything will be done to treat the deceased family member with the same care and respect that we would show to a member of our own family.

We believe that cremation should be considered as preparation for memorialization; that the dead of our society should be memorialized through a commemorative means suitable to the survivors.

It is because of these beliefs We adhere to a strict Code of Ethical Cremation Conduct.


1. RESPECTFUL AND DIGNIFIED CREMATION At all times the process of cremation shall be carried out in a dignified and respectful manner.

2. PROTECTION OF THE DECEASED The deceased shall always be properly attired and protected in accordance with local tradition and recognized practices.

3. SEPARATE CREMATION - NO MIXING OF CREMAINS All cremations shall be carried out separately to ensure that there is no mixing of cremains.

4. CREMATION OF HUMAN REMAINS Only human remains shall be cremated at our crematorium.

5. RIGHT OF AN INDIVIDUAL TO DECIDE DISPOSAL OF CREMAINS Ultimately it should be an individuals right to determine the final method of the disposal of their cremains.

6. CREMATION TO BE THE ONLY OFFICIAL TERM The word "cremation" shall be the official word used to describe the disposal method practiced by our funeral home and cremated remains shall be the only word used to describe the particles that remain at the end of the cremation.

7. IDENTIFICATION OF THE DECEASED UNTIL THE FINAL CREMATION PROCESS Appropriate steps shall be taken to ensure proper identification of the deceased on arrival at the crematorium, through the cremation process until the final disposal of the cremains.

8. BAN ON THE COMMERCIALISATION OF PRODUCTS OR RESIDUE OF CREMATION The products or residue of a cremation shall not be used for any commercial purpose.

9. ALL MATERIALS USED IN CREMATION TO BE ENVIRONMENTALLY SOUND

10. CREMATION STAFF TO BE QUALIFIED AND COMPETENT All staff involved with cremation shall be competent in the tasks that they perform and must receive advanced training by the Cremation Association of North America

11. STAFF TAKING PART IN CREMATION TO BE SUBJECT TO THE CODE Staff associated in any way with the provision of the service of cremation shall at all times adhere to the Code of Ethics.

12. ALL PERSONS HAVE THE RIGHT TO CHOOSE CREMATION An individual shall have the right to choose cremation and due regard shall be given to such desire.

13. RESPONSIBLE EDUCATORS We believe as cremation experts and responsible educators we have a obligation to educate those choosing cremation on the cremation process and all options available to them.

"What makes you the cremation expert?"

I received a question about why we are the cremation experts. I can understand that with all the inflated claims out their it can be hard to believe someone when they claim to be an expert. I can however assure you that our claims to be a cremation expert are well founded. Below is a post I had written a few months ago about why we are the preferred cremation provider in the area. It is not by chance we are so well trusted by the community.

My family has performed and overseen our own cremations for over 20 years. We where also the first funeral home in the county to install a crematory. We personally over see over twelve hundred cremations annually and remain the only funeral home in the area that operates two crematories. I hope that the answers below will help to put in perspective why we are so trusted.

Because of the superior level of care we give to your loved one and our personal accountability to you, we now served as a bench mark to others in cremation service. We are proud to set the bar so high and be the standard that others are judged by.

My family and our staff has created and adheres to a Cremation Code of Ethics. I am unaware of any cremation provider in our area besides us that has a cremation code of ethics. In the next blog post I will post our cremation code of ethics for everyone to read.

1. No Subcontractors or Brokers Involved. We are the oldest and most trusted cremations provider in the area, personally overseeing our own cremations for two decades. We own and operate our own, on-premise crematory facility. Even though all funeral home advertise “cremation services”, most people are shocked to learn that the important cremation process itself is subcontracted out to a third party who services multiple parties and operates their services from places like garages and industrial warehouses, often in other counties. We wish to emphasize that your family member is always under our direct care and never leaves our facilities.

2. Peace of Mind. We developed and adhere to a rigid 15 point pre-cremation checklist that requires independent verification by 2 professional cremationists Including one licensed member of the Watts Family. It takes more effort to ensure that the cremation is handled with the highest standards of care and dignity. However, we believe it is well worth it.

3. No Waiting. By owning our crematory and controlling the entire process, we guarantee that once all necessary approvals have been received, the cremation will take place within 36 hours.

If the cremation is not completed in the 36 hour time period, you don't owe us for the cremation fee. No other area cremation provider offers such a guarantee.

4. Final Goodbyes. All cremation services we offer from Simplicity Cremation TM to our Tribute of Memories Service TM includes a time for the family to say Goodbye. While most funeral homes will allow you to say Goodbye there are usually additional services and costs involved. We feel that you should never have to pay extra to say Goodby to your love one.

5. Highest Standards. We are members of the Cremation Association of North America which provides advanced certifications to our staff. We wish to emphasize our cremationist are trained by the Cremation Association of North America, even though Florida Law does not require training. Because of this many area crematory staff members are not licensed funeral care providers or have advanced training form the Cremation Association Of North America. We feel that this is not acceptable, when it comes to the care of your loved one. We are also members of the National Funeral Directors Association. This provides further assurances to you that we hold ourselves to the highest standards, and are committed to honesty, dignity, quality and value.