A Catholic Burial . . . An Eternal Sign of our Faith

Via Our Lady of the Rosary website

The primary mission of Austin Catholic New Media is to serve the Church. The obvious means in which we do that is by evangelizing via new media tools. Another way we can serve the Church and the Church community as a whole is by supporting and promoting local Catholic businesses.  Here at ACNM we are proud to welcome Our Lady of the Rosary Cemetery as a new sponsor and partner in our mission.

The following post was written by Amy MacKay who is the Director of Our Lady of the Rosary Cemetery and Prayer Gardens in Georgetown, Texas. For more information on Catholic burial traditions, visit www.olotr.com.

What does it mean to commit ourselves as Catholics to a Catholic burial? One doesn’t often come across this question in life…until faced with the earthly loss of a loved one. Yet, planning our own place of rest can be a gift of peace to our families, the Church, and ourselves, so that at the time of death, the focus remains on our faith.

A Catholic burial expresses our tradition of worship and belief in the Resurrection. It shows our trust in the victory of Christ over death and our belief that together we form one communion, one Body, in Christ. The bonds we build with one another in faith are not broken by death, but allow us the opportunity to await the Lord’s coming in communion, together, in sacred ground.

When making end-of-life arrangements, it is important to understand the views of the Church and the tradition of a Catholic burial. The Catholic Church encourages the burial of Catholics in Catholic cemeteries (Canon 1180.1) as a statement of our continued belief in everlasting life. Catholic cemeteries also provide reverent disposition of the body in the tradition of the Church. While it seems the funeral and burial act are sometimes more of a tradition for the living than the dead, a Catholic burial ensures that respect for the human body is a priority.

As Catholics, we find comfort in the rituals and deep tradition of our faith. This is also true in preparing for the final phase of our life here on Earth. In walking the journey of losing loved ones with families, I have witnessed the comfort that a burial in a Catholic cemetery, and the opportunities for celebrating their lives, can bring to members of our Christian community, and I am honored to be a part of that service.

A Catholic cemetery is a place for the living to celebrate the lives of those who have passed away, as well as strengthen our bonds of Christian community while still on Earth. A place of celebration is not what typically comes to mind when thinking of a cemetery, but what better way to honor and remember, to celebrate life and community . . . than to choose a Catholic burial, an eternal sign of our faith.