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Diocese begins work on first Catholic mortuary
By Rebecca Bostic, The Catholic Sun
October 19, 2006
MESA — Catholic Cemeteries of the Diocese of Phoenix broke ground at Queen of Heaven Cemetery to build the first cemetery-based mortuary in the diocese last month.
Until now, Catholics Cemeteries has provided cemeteries for Catholics to bury the dead, but the actual preparation of the body for its final resting place has been completed by non-Catholic mortuaries or funeral homes.
“The groundbreaking of this facility represents a significant step forward in expanding the continuum of services we provide our Catholic families,” said Gary Brown, director of Catholic Cemeteries.
Although many non-Catholic cemeteries have opened mortuaries on their grounds in recent years, Brown hopes the Queen of Heaven Mortuary will “advise families on the importance of burial in the sacred grounds of a Catholic cemetery,” he said.
“I look forward to the day when I dedicate our first mortuary for service to God’s people,” Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted said. “This expanded ministry will enable us to assist families who are dealing with the death of a loved one while fostering our Catholic ideals in promoting the dignity of the human person.”
The mortuary — which is planned for completion this summer — will strictly adhere to Catholic teaching on the preparation and burial of the dead, according to Brown.
“Preparing the body for burial has been an important part of our faith dating back to the preparation for the burial of Christ,” Brown said. “Prior to modern day, the Church was instrumental in preparing the body for its final internment.”
The mortuary will not cremate a body into ashes if the family intends to spread the ashes and not bury them in a final resting place, in adherence to Catholic teaching.
“Although many non-secular mortuaries do a great job of advising families on the Church’s teachings, in the end the mortuaries will enable the family to perform the scattering,” Brown said.
“Like all Church ministries, the mortuaries will allow us to evangelize our faith to families who have been out of contact with the Church,” he added. “Hopefully we can use this opportunity to facilitate a more active relationship with our faith.”
The Queen of Heaven Cemetery Mortuary will be only the third Catholic mortuary in the United States and fourth in North America. Denver, Los Angeles, Oakland and Montreal are the only other cities with Catholic mortuaries.
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