Only in "grave and exceptional cases" would the ashes be permitted to be kept in a home, the Church said. "It is not permitted to scatter the ashes of the faithful departed in the air, on land, at sea or in some other way, nor may they be preserved in mementos, pieces of jewellery or other objects," it said.
The Vatican decreed that the ashes of loved ones have no place in the home, and certainly not in jewelry. It urged that cremated remains be preserved in cemeteries or other approved sacred places.
To set the faithful straight, the Vatican said ashes and bone fragments cannot be kept at home, since that would deprive the Christian community as a whole of remembering the dead. Rather, church authorities should designate a sacred place, such as a cemetery or church area, to hold them.
Is it OK to Keep Cremains at Home? There's nothing bad about keeping cremated remains at home. Even though the practice is legal, those from specific faith communities may object to the practice. Some religious faiths, such as followers of Islam, Eastern Orthodox, and some Jewish sects forbid cremation.
Cremation occurs at such a hot temperature all micro-organisms are destroyed, and the remaining ashes are inert. After cremation there are no public health risks associated with handling ashes.
Your loved one's ashes don't have to stay together either. Families can choose to split the ashes of the deceased among the wider family, where the individual families can choose what they want to do with them.
Ash Wednesday is not a Holy Day of Obligation for Roman Catholics, yet receiving ashes is a universal practice among Christians to begin their Lenten journeys. Most Catholic parishes offer Ash Wednesday Mass, and in some places, it is possible to receive ashes without attending Mass.
In essence they wish to make clear that the following are unacceptable: The scattering of ashes: 'in the air, on land, at sea or in some other way,' The ashes can not 'be preserved in mementos, pieces of jewellery or other objects. '
During cremation, the body parts that do burn consist of organs, soft tissue, hair, and skin, while the water in our bodies evaporates. The body parts that do not burn are bone fragments.
The leftover ashes are to be put in the sacrarium or place where things that are blessed and can no longer be used are disposed of (such as the water used in baptism, etc).
A common question that we find in the cremation diamond industry is do ashes have an expiration date? The short answer is they don't; at least not in our lifetime. It would take around one million years for ashes to dissolve since they are made solely of inorganic material.
Cremains contain what is known as rest energy, sometimes referred to as free or dormant energy. This type of energy is still subject to the restraints of natural law, and can have no physical or spiritual impact on those around it.
Well, it depends. It's all about how you perceive things and how much you care about what people think. To some people, it would feel weird and inappropriate to wear someone's ashes around the neck as a piece of jewelry. However, some people might be okay with it due to their religious leanings.
"This rite may be celebrated by a priest or deacon who may be assisted by lay ministers in the distribution of the ashes. The blessing of the ashes, however, is reserved to a priest or deacon."
Option 2: Transfer the Ashes Into the Urn Yourself. You can always place the cremated remains in the urn yourself. Some people just don't like the thought of “touching” them. You can rest assured that your loved one's remains are enclosed in a heavy-duty plastic bag, securely sealed with a zip tie.
Cremation Guidelines
Although the Catholic Church prefers in-ground burial or entombment of a deceased person's body, cremation of the body prior to burial is allowed within the confines of the religion.
The ashes symbolize penance and the dust from which God made people. When priests mark Christian's forehead the ashes they often say, “Repent and believe in the Gospel,” or “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
Answer: Ashes are not a sacrament and do not signify communion of faith beyond a need for repentance and a remembrance of mortality. Therefore, it is indeed acceptable for someone who is not Catholic to receive ashes on Ash Wednesday if they so choose.
Can two people's ashes be mixed together? Yes. Mixing ashes is a common process known as “commingling.” Commingling means that the couple's cremated remains are mixed, or “mingled” together in an urn, most often a companion urn.
The law considers ashes to be the same as a body, so is unwilling to rule for separating them amongst different parties.
No, people's remains cannot get mixed up with other people's remains in a cremation chamber. Although some people have been under the impression that two people's cremated remains can get mixed up during the Longboat Key, FL cremation process, this is never going to happen.
The body does not feel pain during cremation because the person is no longer alive. When a person dies, their brain stops sending signals to the body. This means that the person cannot feel pain or any other sensation. In fact, a dead person feels nothing at all.
In most cases, cremated remains are odourless. They may have a slightly metallic odour or some people say they smell somewhat like incense in some cases. However, it is common for ashes to have no distinct smell. Nonetheless, they can take on the smell of the container or cremation urn they are in.
Human ashes are like sand and they do not float. They will not dissolve in the water; instead, they will descend into the ocean until they hit the floor. Can we have a service or a mariner's farewell ceremony before we scatter ashes?