When a Catholic dies and is buried in a Catholic cemetery, it signifies faith in Jesus’ promise of the Resurrection along with joyful hope of sharing Everlasting Life with Him in Heaven.
Created in the image and likeness of God, the bodies of the dead, including cremated remains, should be treated with respect and interred in a grave, or entombed in an above-ground mausoleum or columbarium.
The relationship between a Catholic and their loved one does not end in death, but is transformed. Catholics stay connected with deceased loved ones, especially in November, which is dedicated to praying for the dead.
Catholic cemeteries are sacred spaces which allow prayerful visits between members of the Communion of Saints while awaiting the return of Jesus when the bodies of all the dead will be resurrected and reunited with their souls.
The earliest Catholic churches were built over the tombs of Christian martyrs, and there was a time when cemeteries could be found on the property of almost every Catholic parish.
The entire holy ground of a Catholic cemetery is set apart for God, consecrated and blessed just like every Catholic church. As an extension of the church with the same sacred nature, Masses are even celebrated in Catholic cemeteries.
Blessed by a bishop, Catholic cemeteries are under the care of the local Catholic diocese or nearby parish, assuring that the faith and ideals of the departed are maintained, while providing a holy and consoling experience for Catholic families.
Catholic teaching and tradition is reflected in the buildings, monuments, and symbols of a Catholic cemetery, while Catholic artwork provides comfort and consolation to those who mourn the death of their loved ones.
Baptized Catholics are given priority for burial in a Catholic cemetery, but non-Catholic spouses and other family members may be buried in these cemeteries too.
Laid to rest in a way that is sacred and dignified:
Surrounded by the faith and members of the Church, even in death:
Catholics have reverence for the living and the dead:
A good name is better than good ointment, and the day of death than the day of birth. It is better to go to the house of mourning than to the house of feasting, For that is the end of every mortal, and the living should take it to heart.
Ecclesiastes 7: 1-2
Encapsulating memories of life and hope for the future:
Places of beauty, tradition, and prayer:
Spaces that are sanctified and set apart for God:
As I already said at the Angelus yesterday, during these days we go to the cemetery to pray for the loved ones who have left us, as it were paying a visit to show them, once more, our love, to feel them still close, remembering also, an article of the Creed: in the communion of saints there is a close bond between us who are still walking here upon the Earth and those many brothers and sisters who have already entered eternity. Human beings have always cared for their dead and sought to give them a sort of second life through attention, care and affection. In a way, we want to preserve their experience of life; and, paradoxically, by looking at their graves, before which countless memories return, we discover how they lived, what they loved, what they feared, what they hoped for and what they hated. They are almost a mirror of their world. Why is this so? Because, despite the fact that death is an almost forbidden subject in our society and that there is a continuous attempt to banish the thought of it from our minds, death touches each of us, it touches mankind of every age and every place. And before this mystery we all, even unconsciously, search for something to give us hope, a sign that might bring us consolation, open up some horizon, offer us a future once more. The road to death, in reality, is a way of hope and it passes through our cemeteries, just as can be read on the tombstones and fulfills a journey marked by the hope of eternity.
Pope Benedict XV, General Audience, 2 November 2011
Surrounded by signs of a supernatural reality:
Cemeteries that reflect the values, beliefs, and wishes of Catholics:
The bodies of the dead must be treated with respect and charity, in faith and hope of the Resurrection. the burial of the dead is a Corporal Work of Mercy; it honors the children of God, who are temples of the Holy Spirit.
Catechism of the Catholic Church 2300
The bodies of the dead deserve respect:
The proper manner and place for Christian burial:
The Truth, Goodness, and Beauty of the Catholic Church
Where priests come from:
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