C
catholic47
Guest
Based on my previous threads, I will be the one responsible for my mom’s and stepfather’s (both Catholics and in their mid-70’s) burial services due to limited financial means based predominately on my stepfather’s financial mismanagement and alcoholism. They attempted to get burial insurance to cover their future expenses, but had to cancel it because they cannot afford it.
Ideally, both of them would prefer a body burial but they understand that body burials are more costly than cremation. They would be choosing cremation over a body burial because they want to minimize my financial burden as much as possible even as we understand that the church prefers a body burial. In addition, my stepfather is wavering on donating his body to science but is open to cremation.
In my local area (Northern California) at a Catholic Cemetery, a double plot would be $11,500 vs. $4,500 for a double niche at a columbarium. Because I have a family to support (and have our own burial needs) and my frugal nature, I find it just too cost prohibitive to spend an additional $7,000 to meet the preferred burial method of the church even as I can technically “afford it.” I view the funeral business as an overpriced racket and feel like I am being taken financially taken advantage of based on the high costs of burying the dead. That said, I plan on purchasing the double size niche in a columbarium for $4,500 on their behalf in the coming months and I will purchase two respectable urns engraved with their name and birth/death dates when the time comes.
The purpose of this thread is to receive feedback with costs and logistics of saving money on cremation while still being reverent and complying with Catholic Funeral rites. The Memorial Service Cremation Plan (Includes Cremation, Memorial Mass, and Committal, Services of Funeral Director) offered by a local Catholic Cemetery is $4,175 which seems like highway robbery to me considering that my stepfather will have maybe 4 immediate family members attend his funeral when the time comes. On the other hand, I located a cremation company that does simple cremation for $575. (Includes a simple cremation is the disposition of the body by cremation without the added cost of embalming, formal viewing or ceremony. Our charges include the basic services of the funeral director and staff, removal of the body, use of a positive ID system, transportation to our licensed refrigerated holding and crematory facility, consultation with the family to discuss wishes and sign required documents, filing of death certificate, alternative cremation container, cremation process and delivery of the cremated remains to the family in a temporary plastic urn.)
Logistically, can I choose the $575.00 option, then once I receive the remains back have a funeral Mass after I receive the ashes back in 7-10 days? Or should a Memorial Mass be done right after the person dies instead of waiting 7-10 days to receive the ashes? If you were in my situation and attempting to mitigate funeral costs, how would you proceed logistically while being in compliance with Catholic funeral norms?
Ideally, both of them would prefer a body burial but they understand that body burials are more costly than cremation. They would be choosing cremation over a body burial because they want to minimize my financial burden as much as possible even as we understand that the church prefers a body burial. In addition, my stepfather is wavering on donating his body to science but is open to cremation.
In my local area (Northern California) at a Catholic Cemetery, a double plot would be $11,500 vs. $4,500 for a double niche at a columbarium. Because I have a family to support (and have our own burial needs) and my frugal nature, I find it just too cost prohibitive to spend an additional $7,000 to meet the preferred burial method of the church even as I can technically “afford it.” I view the funeral business as an overpriced racket and feel like I am being taken financially taken advantage of based on the high costs of burying the dead. That said, I plan on purchasing the double size niche in a columbarium for $4,500 on their behalf in the coming months and I will purchase two respectable urns engraved with their name and birth/death dates when the time comes.
The purpose of this thread is to receive feedback with costs and logistics of saving money on cremation while still being reverent and complying with Catholic Funeral rites. The Memorial Service Cremation Plan (Includes Cremation, Memorial Mass, and Committal, Services of Funeral Director) offered by a local Catholic Cemetery is $4,175 which seems like highway robbery to me considering that my stepfather will have maybe 4 immediate family members attend his funeral when the time comes. On the other hand, I located a cremation company that does simple cremation for $575. (Includes a simple cremation is the disposition of the body by cremation without the added cost of embalming, formal viewing or ceremony. Our charges include the basic services of the funeral director and staff, removal of the body, use of a positive ID system, transportation to our licensed refrigerated holding and crematory facility, consultation with the family to discuss wishes and sign required documents, filing of death certificate, alternative cremation container, cremation process and delivery of the cremated remains to the family in a temporary plastic urn.)
Logistically, can I choose the $575.00 option, then once I receive the remains back have a funeral Mass after I receive the ashes back in 7-10 days? Or should a Memorial Mass be done right after the person dies instead of waiting 7-10 days to receive the ashes? If you were in my situation and attempting to mitigate funeral costs, how would you proceed logistically while being in compliance with Catholic funeral norms?
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