Catholic cemeteries initiative offers memorial, committal of cremains at no cost

Annual 'Gather Them Home' program on Nov. 7 encourages families toward the corporal work of mercy of burying the dead

DETROIT — On Saturday, Nov. 7, families who keep a loved one's ashes or urn at home are invited to participate in memorial Masses and interments across the Archdiocese of Detroit. 

The annual Gather Them Home initiative, hosted by Catholic Funeral & Cemetery Services (CFCS), is a prayerful opportunity to honor loved ones and provide them a proper Christian burial in consecrated ground. 

"Many families are keeping their loved ones at home for various reasons," Deanna Cortese, director for mission advancement for CFCS told Detroit Catholic. "It could be a financial reason, or that they're going through a grief journey, or anything in between."  

Many Catholics are unfamiliar with the Church's teaching on the funeral and burial rites, Cortese said, and Gather Them Home creates an avenue to learn more about this part of the faith.  

Burial of the dead is a corporal work of mercy, and the mission of Gather Them Home is to provide this work of mercy to the faithful by alleviating any challenges that might be preventing them from seeking a proper burial for their loved one.  

"If someone has a financial burden, we do not want that to be the obstacle," Cortese added. The memorial and committal on Nov. 7 will be offered at no cost.  

In years past, Gather Them Home has included a single memorial Mass, followed by interment, at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Southfield, but this year's event will take a different form.

On Nov. 7, families are encouraged to bring the remains of their loved ones to one of several memorial Masses being held concurrently at parishes across the Archdiocese of Detroit, followed by a procession to a cemetery, where a priest or deacon will lead prayers during a committal service. All Masses will begin at 10 a.m. 

The participating cemeteries are Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Southfield, St. Joseph Cemetery in Monroe, Our Lady of Hope Cemetery in Brownstown Township, and Sacred Heart Cemetery in Roseville.

"We really want to get people connected with a parish," Cortese said. "We want them to have the community and family support after they lay their loved one to rest." 

In a message to the faithful for All Souls month, Detroit Archbishop Edward J. Weisenburger reaffirmed the importance of a proper burial for those who have died in Christ. 

"Our Catholic cemeteries are sacred and consecrated places of prayer," the archbishop said. "They are an extension of our parish communities, where we continue to honor those who have gone before us in faith, and where families can come to pray, remember, and find peace." 

In addition to the annual Gather Them Home services, Catholic Funeral and Cemetery Services also hosts monthly memorial services to properly commit the deceased, including the remains of unclaimed individuals. Since offering these burials, more than 9,000 cremated remains have been laid to rest. 

"Taking this step is not about letting go of your loved one," Archbishop Weisenburger said. "It's about fulfilling one final act of love. It's about entrusting them to the Lord and placing them where the Church will continue to pray for them until the day when Christ comes again." 

Those interested in laying a loved one to rest during this year's Gather Them Home initiative are encouraged to contact Catholic Funeral and Cemetery Services or one of the cemeteries, who will make all arrangements for the memorial Mass and committal, by Thursday, Nov. 5.