Burial with/without casket, coffin, or urn

[Spirithound]

I recently read in the AAA forum Michelle Arnold quoting the USCCB Committee on Divine Worship that

“The cremated remains of the body may be properly buried at sea in the urn, coffin or other container in which they have been carried to the place of committal”

and she then says "This means that cremains should not be poured into a hole in the ground, but put in a suitable container and then the container committed to the earth or water. "

Does this mean that we must always be buried (in the various ways) with a coffin or urn?
I had read somewhere that there are some religious orders that do (did?) not use coffins. Even Pope JPII’s simple coffin will likely lose its structural integrity in the near-to-mediate future.

 

[Cat]

Unless things have changed, I believe that in the U.S., it’s illegal to bury a human without some kind of container.

 

[banjo]

Does this mean that we must always be buried (in the various ways) with a coffin or urn?
I had read somewhere that there are some religious orders that do (did?) not use coffins. Even Pope JPII’s simple coffin will likely lose its structural integrity in the near-to-mediate future.

The following quote from the thread cited by Michelle Arnold would indicate to me that the answer to your question is yes.

While cremated remains may be buried in a grave, entombed in a mausoleum or columbarium or even buried at sea, “the practice of scattering cremated remains on the sea, from the air, or on the ground, or keeping cremated remains in the home of a relative or friend of the deceased are not the reverent disposition that the Church requires.” (OCF 416)

 

[ljubim]

Are there really religious orders that don’t use coffins?

There’s definitely a difference between simple coffins and just throwing somebody in the ground though. Even though I’m only seventeen I’ve decided that no way, no how are they going to pump my body out and put fake goob in me, and fake makeup to make me look like I’m still alive and to hide death. That’s only a product of our materialistic society, and a way to make large amounts of money. So the point is not to make the body last forever, or appear to, it’s to give it a proper burial.

This is a little off-topic but what ever happened to funerals that people don’t pray as much as they should? Because don’t you think that the prayers of fifty people might be enough to reduce somebody’s time in purgatory? Or get them straight to heaven even? Maybe because of the society we live in, people are only worried about making themselves feel better at funerals rather than helping their friend.

 

[FrDavid96]

I recently read in the AAA forum Michelle Arnold quoting the USCCB Committee on Divine Worship that

“The cremated remains of the body may be properly buried at sea in the urn, coffin or other container in which they have been carried to the place of committal”

and she then says "This means that cremains should not be poured into a hole in the ground, but put in a suitable container and then the container committed to the earth or water. "

Does this mean that we must always be buried (in the various ways) with a coffin or urn?
I had read somewhere that there are some religious orders that do (did?) not use coffins. Even Pope JPII’s simple coffin will likely lose its structural integrity in the near-to-mediate future.

The reason behind requiring a container of some sort for cremated remains is to ensure that the ashes are “all together” in the same place, so that they are buried as a whole (as much as possible, of course). It’s not so much a requirement for a container, as it is a prohibition against scattering.

As for a whole body which hasn’t been cremated, there’s no canonical or even spiritual requirement that a coffin be used. We have to show respect for the human body, of course, but that can be done even without a coffin.

 

[Phemie]

Are there really religious orders that don’t use coffins?

There’s definitely a difference between simple coffins and just throwing somebody in the ground though. Even though I’m only seventeen I’ve decided that no way, no how are they going to pump my body out and put fake goob in me, and fake makeup to make me look like I’m still alive and to hide death. That’s only a product of our materialistic society, and a way to make large amounts of money. So the point is not to make the body last forever, or appear to, it’s to give it a proper burial.

Yes, the ones I’m most familiar with are the Trappists, who traditionally would be washed and dressed in their habit and laid out on a simple bier until the funeral. They would then be taken to their grave and respectfully lowered into the ground, covered with a white sheet and then covered with earth. Probably as or more respectful than a coffin because there is always a visual reminder that you are dealing with a human body. Certainly more ecologically sound practice than filling a body full of formaldehyde and then putting it in an ornate coffin.

I don’t know if it’s true or not but was told as a child that the Trappists actually slept on the boards that would be their funeral bier – IOW, their mattress was laid on the boards on which they would be buried.

 

[Spirithound]

I don’t know if it’s true or not but was told as a child that the Trappists actually slept on the boards that would be their funeral bier – IOW, their mattress was laid on the boards on which they would be buried.

What a way to be reminded of your own mortality! in awe

 

[ljubim]

Yes, the ones I’m most familiar with are the Trappists, who traditionally would be washed and dressed in their habit and laid out on a simple bier until the funeral. They would then be taken to their grave and respectfully lowered into the ground, covered with a white sheet and then covered with earth. Probably as or more respectful than a coffin because there is always a visual reminder that you are dealing with a human body. Certainly more ecologically sound practice than filling a body full of formaldehyde and then putting it in an ornate coffin.

I don’t know if it’s true or not but was told as a child that the Trappists actually slept on the boards that would be their funeral bier – IOW, their mattress was laid on the boards on which they would be buried.

WOW that’s wild!!