ERITAGE HA newsletter for friends of The Catholic Cemeteries SPRING/SUMMER 2020 “Life is Changed, Not Ended” Moving Into By Joan Gecik, Executive Director ming that we had planned from the end “Life is changed, not ended.” We hear of March through the end of August has the Future these affirming words at funeral liturgies, been put on hold. We never know what By Joan Gecik, Executive Director stating our belief in the resurrection after a new day will bring for us to address. This past year, the executive team at a death. These past weeks have felt like The Catholic Cemeteries spent several death; all our lives have been changed. Because our focus is on keeping every- months studying death and cemetery We no longer pray together, visit friends, one safe, I’m issuing my own executive trends as well as looking at how we can hold grandchildren, eat out, or be care- order for Memorial Day, shown below. be prepared to meet both the present free when shopping for essentials. Some and future needs of our families. of us have lost a loved one but have not Unfortunately, for the Memorial Day been able to hold a funeral service of any Weekend, May 23, 24, 25: What we learned was that Catholics kind and in some cemeteries, one cannot • All cemetery offices will be closed have more fully accepted cremation as even get out of the car to be present at (Resurrection, Calvary, Gethsemane, an option for disposition of the body. the burial. We have no idea of how long St. Anthony’s, St. Mary’s) As a result, we have seen an increase in the grieving of what “was normal” will the need for burial options for cremat- • There will be no Memorial Day last. And through it all, we want to know Masses ed remains. We already have plenty of the “why” and when it will end. the traditional earth-burial areas in all • Mausoleums and restrooms our cemeteries. However, we will need will not be open At our cemeteries, we are experiencing more columbarium niches and Back to an abnormal normal. Every day we read • Pre-sale and on-site flower sales Nature cremation areas at Resurrection. and listen to the best advice of the day will not be available from the CDC, our governor, and other • There will be no staff, including cemeteries across the country. We have Family Services Counselors, on site agreed that there are two important foci to what we do. The first is to continue to Our cemetery grounds will be open for prayerfully and respectfully bury those individuals to visit or to walk through. who have died. The second is to keep We encourage you to spend time at any both our employees, and those who of them, but with the safety of others in visit us, safe while they are here. mind. We hope that this pandemic is a The new columbarium with ossuary to be once-in-a-lifetime event. We pray for all This has meant that some staff now installed in Section 7. to be safe and to look with gratitude for have to work from home most of the the new ways life springs forth. Life is Planning for change week. Field employees need to be more changed, but not ended. We examined the cemetery expansion cautious in how they do their work and plan from 25 years ago and found that deal with the public. Markers and mon- Grave location maps will be available for it never anticipated the changes we are uments that normally would be installed your visit if requested by May 21. experiencing. So we asked one of our prior to Memorial Day will not be placed Go to “Our Ministries” and click on partners at Coldspring (a primary because we have no idea when suppliers “Burial Record Request” on our website: will deliver them to us. All the program- www.catholic-cemeteries.org Continued on page 2 Heritage, a newsletter for friends of The Catholic Cemeteries • catholic-cemeteries.org • Spring/Summer 2020 1 Moving into the future, continued from page 1 natural-stone manufacturing facility and The ossuary provides for this separation function as a monument, and as previ- bronze foundry) to meet with us regard- of remains. It will be less expensive than ously mentioned, with more cremations, ing our vision and to update our plans. an individual niche and the names of we wanted to offer additional areas for all individuals will be inscribed on cremated remains. We are also going We are considering the basic concept outside panels of the ossuary. to look at the birch tree area on the of the original plan, which was to build west side of the Chapel Mausoleum for out the area from our original mau- Appealing options placement of cremation rocks. This area soleum. What we desire is a place that One of the concerns that I have always is not only near the Chapel, but also near will be open to both full-body crypts had is that many people do not know the natural burial area (Gate of Heaven) and cremation niches. We also want an what to do after cremation. As Catho- and overlooks the Peaceable Kingdom area in which we may hold an outside lics, we believe that cremated remains Garden which is being renovated. service. And we want that area to have are still the body of the deceased and some water features and garden areas – that they deserve respect and burial. We’ve also been looking for ways to be places to sit and reflect. This expansion Some families do not have the funds to more environmentally friendly and to will need to be done in three phases and inter (bury) the cremated remains and bring in more wildlife into the ceme- most likely will take us into the next so hold onto them. We want to help all tery. One of the projects is adding to 20 years of cemetery development. families have a space to remember their the number of bluebird houses at loved ones as well as a place to visit. Resurrection Cemetery. Because the A second level of expansion may occur This special columbarium offers yet wide-open sections at Resurrection are this summer when we add one colum- another option for those who may ideal for bluebirds, 12 additional bluebird barium in Section 7. This columbarium not have the necessary funds for an houses will be added to the cemetery. will have an added feature of an ossuary individual burial space. for cremated remains. The ossuary We have a lot going on as we strive to serves as a place where cremated We are also going to expand our crema- serve the needs of the families who remains are placed communally in in- tion-rock area. During the past year, we come to us with their loved ones. We dividual velvet bags. Catholic burial of have begun to allow cremation rocks continue to change with the times, cremated remains directs that the cre- to be placed in Section 19A, which is a creating beautiful places for prayer, mated remains cannot be intermingled. monument section. The cremation rocks remembering, and reflection. Partnership values volunteers When we attend a funer- relationships with Heal- nitely the biggest blessing in my position al and burial, we assem- thEast Care System and as Director of Life Transition Ministries. ble with others to cele- Fairview Health Ser- It is the most significant thing I do.” brate a life well lived – a vices (both now part of life that was important. M Health Fairview) to Sister Fran said the hospitals are essen- But what about a life that receive the remains of tial in their willingness to connect fam- didn’t have the opportu- pre-term infants. A service ilies with the service, keep records, and nity to grow up – the life that is open to all grieving coordinate with her and Gill Brothers of a fetus or a miscarried families takes place in the Funeral Home. Gill Brothers provides or stillborn child? That Chapel Mausoleum at small communal containers along with life is important to those Joan Gecik and Cindy Keller light Resurrection Cemetery transportation – all at no charge. The who loved it and yet that candles for the fetal burial service. four times a year, followed fourth-generation, family-owned busi- life is seldom celebrated. by a communal burial in a ness has been facilitating burial of fetal specially designated area of the cemetery. remains since the 1940s. Dan McGraw, A collaborative partnership great-grandson of founder Michael Since 2006 that circumstance has When Sister Fran Donnelly, B.V.M., Gill, said, “The burial of fetal remains is been changing. That was the year The talks about The Catholic Cemeteries important in a very fundamental way… Catholic Cemeteries formalized their fetal burial ministry, she says, “It’s defi- Continued on page 3 2 Heritage, a newsletter for friends of The Catholic Cemeteries • catholic-cemeteries.org • Spring/Summer 2020 From the Executive Director Ask and You Shall Receive In our last newsletter, I invited every- one to join in partnership with us to enhance our cemeteries. We are grateful to an anonymous donor who has gifted us with a statue of St. Joseph that graces the new columbarium on the east side of our Chapel Mausoleum at Resur- rection Cemetery. As you may recall, we have a statue of “Mary with Child” on the west side. So, in effect, the Holy Family now surrounds this mausoleum.