The Funeral Rites of the Catholic Church, part 2 (cremation)

Over my decade or so of pastoral ministry, I have found that there is nothing more misunderstood than the Catholic Church's teaching on cremation. While it is true that the Church did not approve of cremation for a long time, since the fall of 1997, this is no longer the case. Cremation is now recognized as a legitimate way of preparing a body for its Final Committal. But notice two things about that statement:

1. It's only for the Committal that the body should be cremated. The Church still prefers that the body be present for the Vigil and funeral Mass. We prefer that cremation take place after the funeral Mass so that the body that participated in the Eucharist be present one last time for a Eucharist for her/his soul. Fortunately, the funeral industry has responded by allowing the rental of caskets for the Vigil and Mass, allowing it to be returned when the body is cremated.
2. The remains must still be committed! Placing the remains on the mantle or in a bookcase is not considered proper, just as storing a body of a deceased loved one in your freezer is not considered proper. The Church teaches that the remains of the dead must be reverently and respectfully committed to a proper burial place. This can be in the ground, in a columbarium, or entombed at sea. The important parts of this teaching are that the remains are (a) kept together (no scattering!) and (b) committed in a place that is set aside for that purpose.

As a pastoral matter, however, the Church recognizes that cremation after the funeral Mass is not always possible either due to time required to gather the family or the time required to perform the cremation. Therefore, although there is a clear preference for the body to be present for the funeral Mass, there is an option in the Order of Christian Funerals for the funeral Mass to take place with the cremated remains present. Special procedures and prayers are used in this case.