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CREMATION SERVICES                                                                                                            CREMATION FAQs




          What  options are available besides                    Cremated remains can be scattered or buried, or                 Can an urn be brought into church?                     How long does the actual cremation
          ground burial?                                         they may be kept with the family in a decora-                   Nearly all Protestant Churches allow for the           take?
          Besides ground burial, some cemeteries offer           tive urn.  There are many new and different                     urn to be present during the memorial services.        It all depends on the weight of the individual.
          interment in lawn crypts or entombment in              ways to dispose of ashes today, cremated                        Most Catholic Churches also allow the remains          For an average sized adult, cremation can take
          mausoleums. In addition, most cemeteries               remains can be placed in an artificial coral reef               to be present during the Memorial Mass. It is          two to three hours at a normal operating tem-
          provide choice for those who have selected             in  the  ocean  or  they  can  be  spun  into  glass            encouraged that cremated remains be a part of a        perature of between 1000 and 2000 degrees
          cremation.  These often include placement of           artwork or diamonds.                                            funeral as it provides a focal point for the           Fahrenheit.
          cremated remains in a niche of a columbarium                                                                           service.
          or interment in an urn space.                          Some religions welcome cremation while                                                                                 What  do  the  cremated  remains  look
                                                                 others forbid it.  The Catholic Church has                      What can be done with the cremated                     like?
          Wat are the burial vaults and grave                    banned cremation up until 1963, and burial                      remains?                                               Cremated remains resemble coarse sand and are
          liners?                                                remains the preferred form of disposition                       While laws vary state by state, for the most part      whitish to light grey in colour. The remains of
          These are the outside containers into which the        today. In other Christian denominations crema-                  remains can be buried in a cemetery lot or a           an average sized adult usually weigh between 7
          casket is placed. Burial vaults are designed to        tion was historically discouraged but nowadays                  cremation garden, interred in a columbarium,           and 8 pounds.
          protect the casket and may be made of a variety        it is more widely accepted. In eastern religions                kept at home or scattered.
          or combination of materials including concrete,        such as Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism and Bud-                                                                            Are     all    the    cremated       remains
          stainless steel, galvanized steel, copper,             dhism cremation is mandated, while in Islam it                  How can I be sure I receive the correct                returned?
          bronze, plastic or fibreglass. A grave liner is a      is strictly forbidden. Orthodox Jews also forbid                remains?                                               With the exception of minute and microscopic
          lightweight version of a vault which simply            cremation; other sects of Judaism support                       All reputable cremation providers have devel-          particles, which are impossible to remove from
          keeps the grave surface from sinking in.               cremation, but burial remains the preferred                     oped rigorous sets of operating policies and           the cremation chamber and processing
                                                                 option.                                                         procedures in order to maximize the level of           machine, all of the cremated remains are given
          Must I purchase a burial vault?                                                                                        service and minimize the potential for human           back to the family.
          Most large, active cemeteries have regulations                                                                         error. Since it is illegal to perform more than
          that require the use of a basic grave liner for        Cremation FAQs                                                  one cremationat a time, and the vast majority of       Do I need an urn?
          maintenance and safety purposes. Either a                                                                              crematories can only cremate one body at a             An urn is not required by law. However an urn
          grave liner or a burial vault will satisfy these       What is cremation?                                              time, it is next to impossible to receive the          may be desired if there is to be a memorial
          requirements. Some smaller rural or churchyard         Cremation is the process of reducing the human                  incorrect remains.                                     service or if the remains are to be interred in a
          cemeteries do not require use of a container to        body to bone fragments using high heat and                                                                             cemetery. If an urn is not purchased or provided
          surround the casket in the grave.                      flame. Cremation is not the final disposition of                                                                       by the family, the cremated remains will be
                                                                 the remains, nor is it a type of funeral service.                                                                      returned in a temporary container.
          Cremation Services                                     Is a casket needed for cremation?

                                                                 No, a casket is not required. Most states require
          Cremation is an alternative to the burial process      an alternative container constructed of wood or
          and it is chosen by many people because of             cardboard, however, in some states no contain-
          religious beliefs, the desire to preserve the          er is required.
          environment or because it was requested by the
          person who died. Cremation is also a less              Is embalming required prior to cre-
          expensive option in comparison to a burial. The        mation?
          remains are placed in a container that is com-         No. In fact, it is against the law for a funeral
          bustible and placed in a special furnace called a      home to tell you otherwise.
          cremation chamber or a crematory where,
          through intense heat, the remains are reduced to       Can the family witness the cremation?
          bone fragments that are then crushed and               Yes, they can; some cremation providers will
          pulverised to resemble coarse sand.  The               alow family members to be present when the
          cremated remains are an average human body             body is placed in the cremation chamber. Some
          will weigh about 7-8 pounds. Cremation is not          religious groups even include this as part of
          an alternative to a funeral. But rather an alter-      their funeral custom.
          native to burial or other forms of disposition.




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