Today, more than half the burial spaces purchased in Catholic cemeteries are made prior to death.
A pre-need purchase of interment rights, whether for in-ground burial (traditional graves or cremation graves), above ground entombment (crypts) or above ground cremation (niches) allows one to make an important decision calmly, prudently, and economically. You can personally choose the exact location you prefer and well as memorialization desires. Final resting place decisions should be yours and not that of our loved ones.
Cemetery expenditures are subject to the same spiraling increases in costs as are other purchases; by purchasing in advance of actual need, the prices are locked in and families will not be subject to price increases on burial locations in the future.
When to select your family burial place is a decision only you and your family can make. Making this decision before it is needed reflects both a sense of thoughtful planning and economic prudence. The decisions made now will be your own – designed to give you peace of mind now, and peace of mind later for your family and loved ones.
Consider this:
The Catholic philosophy of life has always contained a realistic attitude toward death. A Catholic knows that one of the most important tasks in life is to prepare for death. It is a spiritual preparation, an essential process which prepares each of us for that moment when we enter into eternity.
But, there are also some important practical preparations which should be considered. Our Church calls for a sacred resting place for the remains of the deceased. You can take time to carefully study the cemetery of your choice for available burial places, which allows for a thoughtful and personal decision.
