Blessed ground question

[Theology_Nerd]

Greetings, friends! Let me start by saying that I am a high school religion teacher. Kids can ask some pretty unique questions, some for which I can’t find answers. Can anybody help me with this one?

If ground is blessed to bury a person and there is too much dirt to put back into/on the grave, what becomes of the excess dirt? If placed in the woods or a field, is it still blessed?

Thanks!

 

[Tarpeian_Rock]

Greetings, friends! Let me start by saying that I am a high school religion teacher. Kids can ask some pretty unique questions, some for which I can’t find answers. Can anybody help me with this one?

If ground is blessed to bury a person and there is too much dirt to put back into/on the grave, what becomes of the excess dirt? If placed in the woods or a field, is it still blessed?

Thanks!

Just a wild guess here, but in actuality I think it’s technically the grave that’s blessed as opposed to the dirt per se. It is true that the expression is “blessed ground,” though. I have never heard any interpretation that the “excess dirt” is considered blessed. In any committal I’ve been to, at the time the grave is blessed, the dirt has already been set aside and is usually under one of those pieces of green AstroTurf, and isn’t in the “line of fire” at the blessing. Interesting question, though.

 

[malphono]

Just a wild guess here, but in actuality I think it’s technically the grave that’s blessed as opposed to the dirt per se. It is true that the expression is “blessed ground,” though. I have never heard any interpretation that the “excess dirt” is considered blessed. In any committal I’ve been to, at the time the grave is blessed, the dirt has already been set aside and is usually under one of those pieces of green AstroTurf, and isn’t in the “line of fire” at the blessing. Interesting question, though.

Yes, it’s the grave that is actually blessed. Not the soil itself.

 

[runningdude]

From an engineering standpoint, it is unlikely that there would be too much soil to put back. The soil removed will be compressed and take up less room upon closing the plot than when it was removed. Even with a burial vault, soil may need to be imported completely fill and level the plot.

 

[Aelred_Minor]

Some of my old college professors would be very disappointed in me if I did not point out that it is soil that you dig out of the ground. When you have to wash your hands afterwards, what washes off is dirt.

It seems like we Catholics don’t often get hung up about proper disposal of sacramentals in unusual cases like this one, even assuming the excess soil (if any) is really a sacramental in this case, which from other posters seems doubtful.

In general of course one is supposed to burn or bury sacramentals (or consume them, if it is something like blessed salt or holy water, but that is not the case here). If one insisted on applying that to this case it would mean burying any excess soil somewhere else.

 

[Theology_Nerd]

Thanks, everyone!

Running dude - that is exactly what I told my student!

Arpeian Rock - great point! This is probably going to help the kid who had this question. He was unable to find an answer from past teachers or the chaplain, so I promised to try to find out…but couldn’t find anything.

I was having difficulty trying to decide if the soil became a sacramental or not, but I think the grave being what is blessed and the soil being already removed is quite helpful!

Thanks again to all!

 

[Magdalen2013]

Most cemeteries that are dedicated for burials of people of one faith are all “blessed” ground. That’s why those who commit suicide were buried outside of graveyards for many years.

 

[wcknight]

Catholic cemeteries are all blessed by default. Other cemeteries, individual graves sites are blessed.