HONG KONG (SE): In response to the increasing shortage of burial spaces in diocesan cemeteries, the Diocesan Board of Catholic Cemeteries will offer a new option. Beginning in May 2024, families of faithful deceased can choose to inter cremated ashes in the Garden of Remembrance at St. Raphael’s Catholic Cemetery in Cheung Sha Wan.
Father Dominic Chan Chi-ming, a board member, emphasised that a respectful burial symbolizes hope for eternal life and reunion in heaven. The newly introduced burial option allows the deceased to be interred in entirety and in a dignified manner, aligning with the core teachings of the Catholic Chuch.
He said that the measure was introduced with reference to the Vatican’s response to an inquiry about preserving the ashes of the deceased. In a December 9 response, issued with the apprioval of Pope Francis, Victor Manuel Cardinal Fernandez, the head of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, said that the disposition of the remains of believers who have been cremated has to conform to “the Christian proclamation of the resurrection of the body and the respect due to it.”
Cardinal Fernandez said that “ashes must be kept in a sacred place, such as a cemetery, or in an area dedicated to this purpose” to ensure “that they are not excluded from the prayers and remembrance of their family or the Christian community” and to prevent “the faithful departed from being forgotten, or their remains from being shown a lack of respect.”
In the garden, located at section 62 in the cemetery, a coffin plot will be divided into 18 burial lots, each with enough space for one urn. The biodegradable cardboard urns are well-designed and express respect for the deceased and hope for eternal life.
According to Father Chan, the space can be reused after six or seven years with the replacement of new soil after the ashes are decomposed, thus providing a sufficient supply of burial lots and promoting sustainability in land use. He believes the ash burial, the first to be introduced in Hong Kong, will provide enough burial slots for many years in the future.
For several decades, diocesan cemeteries have faced a shortage of niches. Since 1988, Catholic cemeteries have not granted permanent coffin or urn plots. Instead, cremated remains [cremains] could only be interred in existing permanent coffins, previously granted urn plots, or niches. All niches in Cheung Sha Wan and Sai Kung have been allocated, and any additional burials will be accommodated within the existing niches.
The cemetery office receives enquiries from time to time as to whether the Catholic cemeteries provide the scattering of cremains, this is no in accordance with Catholic teaching.
The commission also learned that some chosen to scatter ashes elsewhere or even bury them at sea. In such cases, Father Chan explained that scattering of ashes, though not in line with Catholic teaching, does not affect the mercy of God for the deceased or their eternal life.
Name plaques are displayed permanently on the gravestone in the garden in memory of the deceased. According to Father Chan, plaques of the deceased belonging to the same family can be put together upon an application for rearrangement. At a later stage, a dedicated memorial webpage for uploading the names of the deceased will be introduced for search by friends and relatives. The diocesan board is also planning to design some letterboxes for the dead to help family members remember the departed.
Father Chan shared that the preparation for ash burial took only around a year-and-a-half as it is not difficult for the government to approve, considering a similar burial method was introduced in Angel’s Garden for foetal remains at the Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery in Chai Wan. The measure was also discussed in the Council of Priests and the Board of Diocesan Consultors and finally approved by Cardinal Stephen Chow, s.j.
Burial lots are arranged in sequential order but not on a first-come-first-served basis. After burial in the garden, no exhumation, relocation, co-burial or exportation is allowed.
If the service is well received, the diocesan board will extend similar arrangements to other diocesan cemeteries in future.
