Committal service for cremated remains planned for Nov. 4

Grief and healing will come together Nov. 4 at a special Catholic Cemeteries’ committal and interment service for cremated remains at St. Mary Magdalene Cemetery in Omaha.

"We recognize that families may have these cremated remains at home and desire to have their loved ones placed in an area of dignity and respect," said Deacon Dan Keller, cemeteries director. "They may have had financial difficulties, or some other impediment" that prevented them from doing so.

That’s why the service – this year at 11 a.m. – has been offered free annually since 2012. Always held near All Souls Day, Nov. 2, the service last year drew about 100 people bearing the remains of more than 60 loved ones.

"You see both grief and healing at this service," Deacon Keller said. "You see family members hugging each other, hugging other families they don’t know; you’ll see tears and laughter, and a light-hearted feeling that they’ve finally been able to do the right thing."

It’s an important service, Deacon Keller said.

"We feel strongly – in alignment with the teaching of the Catholic Church – that the body needs to be put to rest in consecrated space," he said. "The body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, a gift from God, and we need to return that gift to wait for the final resurrection."

But the deceased need not have been Catholic, he said. "This is open to all faiths."

Families planning to attend the service should bring the remains of their loved ones to the cemetery between 10:30 and 10:50 a.m., he said. The remains will be interred in a community crypt in the cemetery mausoleum.

Families also can purchase a 12’ x 12’ paver stone to be engraved with their loved one’s name and placed in the nearby paver garden.

To participate, contact Catholic Cemeteries by Oct. 30 at 402-391-3711.