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Tag: Catholic Church

Catholic Church This tag gathers human-interest stories and timely updates where Catholic faith and remembrance meet. You’ll find pieces about parish communities supporting families after cremation, how priests and deacons help shape prayers and readings, and the gentle ways people...

Scattering Cremation Ashes: Catholic Church’s stance

The Catholic Church’s Position on Cremation Ashes: A Deeper Explanation The Catholic Church takes a clear and theologically grounded position on the treatment of cremated remains. While cremation itself is permitted, the Church maintains that ashes must be treated with the same reverence as a human body. When asked directly, the Church explained its position […]

Is it Bad Luck to have Ashes in the House?

The belief that keeping cremation ashes in the house impacts ‘luck’ varies widely across cultures, religions, and personal beliefs. Some people see it as perfectly acceptable and even comforting to keep a loved one’s ashes at home, while others may feel uneasy about it due to superstitions or cultural traditions. Points to Consider: Cultural and […]

Do You Need Permission to Scatter Ashes in a Cemetery?

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Do You Need Permission to Scatter Ashes in a Cemetery? A common question asked. I am wondering because I think people probably know the answer already, but are hoping the answer – “It’s fine, just go for it”. However, it is not: do you need permission? The short answer is yes, it is not your […]

Splitting Ashes and the Church of England

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The good old CofE don’t really like ashes to be split, and the Catholic Church specifically prohibits it. I was speaking at a resent Church of England conference on the subject of ashes and this thorny issue was raised. From a secular point of view I never realised the extent to which this vexed the […]

The Vatican’s Position on the Ashes of Saints

How the Catholic Church treats cremated remains, relics and sacred places The Vatican has updated it rules on relics these are body parts (and more historically) including associated items of a saint. There has been issues recently when surviving family members disagree with what the Catholic church wishes to do body of a person once […]

Why I Understand the Catholic Church’s Stance on Scattering Ashes

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There are a number of people and organisations that have been getting rather hot under the collar about the recent instruction from the Vatican clarifying the Catholic Church’s position on the scattering ashes and the fact that they do not like it, or splitting ashes, or jewellery containing ashes, so on and so forth. There are those who […]

Vatican’s updated stance on Cremation Ashes

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Catholic Church Stance on Scattering Ashes The Catholic Church has issued clear guidance on what should happen to a person’s ashes after cremation. This came from the Vatican’s Instruction “Ad resurgendum cum Christo” (To Rise with Christ), which outlines how the faithful should treat cremated remains in accordance with Catholic teaching. While cremation is now […]

A serene Kerala churchyard beside a traditional Mar Thoma Syrian Church

Mar Thoma Syrian Church – Cremation is now allowed

The various religions in the world is a constant source of wonder to me. The various sects seems never ending, here is a new one on me, the Mar Thoma Syrian Church – never heard of it? It has over a million followers. Although as religions go this fairly unique. It is a Syrian Christian […]

Internment Psalms – Biblical

Christian Texts for When Ashes Are Scattered or Interred When it comes to saying goodbye, many families find comfort in familiar words of faith. The Bible offers verses that speak of peace, protection, and the promise of eternal care — words that help us place a loved one gently into God’s hands. The following passages […]

No ashes – No Date – A Catholic cemetery gets strict

Four daughters are in a dispute with a Catholic cemetery in Cudahy, Wisconsin in the US. The cemetery has refused to have their mother’s year of passing put on the family headstone. The mother, a Mrs Rita Sztukowski, died in April 2013 and her family opted to have her cremated, splitting the ashes between her […]

columbarium baptist st john catholic anglian

Columbarium: St John the Baptist in Norwich

This is a real beauty, the Cathedral of St John the Baptist in Norwich has a wonderful columbarium in its vaulted undercroft at the east end of the Cathedral. St John’s is the second largest Catholic cathedral in the UK. The niches are finely worked bronze cabinets containing individual urns and are sited in […]

Scattering Ashes biblical reference Psalm 147:16 – Origins Part IV

Psalm 147:16 — “He giveth snow like wool: he scattereth the hoarfrost like ashes.” This line from the King James Bible — Psalm 147:16 — has always intrigued me. Let me start with a disclaimer: I’m not a biblical scholar, nor a translator of Scripture. These thoughts are not offered as theology, but simply as […]

Is there space for Columbariums to be an option for ashes the UK

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How columbarium niches provide a place for cremated remains Is there space for Columbariums to be an option for ashes the UK? I think so, in fact I think they are really overlooked in the UK. My only beef is the ones I see here in the UK and to a certain extent the US are a bit […]

Archdiocese of Washington’s thinking on the scattering of ashes – in short they don’t like it!

Catholic guidance discouraging ash scattering and preferred practices Ashes to Armaments Dust to Detonation – A Brief Essay on What NOT to do with Cremated Remains Author Mr Charles Pope “Cremation, though permitted by the Church, often presents pastoral problems for the Church. For, as experience shows, many people treat cremated remains (aka, cremains) in […]

What do Catholic the Church think about ashes

The Catholic Church: cremation, cremated remains and scattering ashes

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Catholic doctrine on cremation and guidance on handling ashes Previous postings have referred to the Catholic Church requiring the burying or interring of a loved ones ashes, very recently I came across this very comprehensive article explaining why. I have copied in full and the author has been credited at the bottom it a) it […]