St. Joseph’s Cemetery

St. Joseph’s Cemetery

Mr. Albert Gambuti, Director
Mrs. Patricia Coyle, Office Manager
179 Hackensack Avenue
Hackensack, NJ 07601
Phone: 201-342-2096

Office hours: call for an appointment

Visiting:

1. The Cemetery is open 7 days a week from dawn to dusk.
2. Only natural flowers/wreaths may be left at gravesides. No artificial plants, no Christmas trees, no plantings.

Watch this video on the Order of Christian Funerals: Video

Burying the Dead is a Corporal Work of Mercy.  As such, Holy Trinity Church has its own cemetery, St. Joseph’s. If you are interested in a grave, crypt or niche for cremated remains, please do not hesitate to call for an appointment. Patti or Al would happy to help you. Plan now for the future and proper disposition of your mortal remains as you await the resurrection of the dead.

Catholics and Cremation

St. Joseph’s Cemetery New Niches for Cremains are Ready for Occupancy

24” Double Niche  $2,000 – $6,800
18” Double Niches $1,400 – $4,800
12” Single Niches $1,000 – $3,800

Our new columbarium is located on the north face of our mausoleum.  Call our staff who are more than happy to assist you. Call 201-342-2096.
We are created in the image and likeness of God. The Church teaches that cremains are to be interred or entombed affording a deceased’s ashes the same respect due to the bodily remains of a Christian.  The spreading of ashes, reserving them in urns in one’s home, or discarding them are not considered proper disposition of human remains. Remember, the burying of the dead remains a Corporal Work of Mercy. What will happen to one’s loved one’s remains once you too have departed? Th is reminds me of the story of a man who bought a lovely vase for his wife at teh local antique shop. When he got home his wife removed the lid adn inside were teh ashes of a deceased human person.  Give your loved ones a place of perpetual rest.
Also, entombing your loved one’s remains on sacred ground, gives you the opportunity and future generations to visit and show respect to their ancestors as we await the resurrection of the body and life everlasting.

Also there are plenty of graves and crypts still available at St. Joseph’s Cemetery.

 

“This is the body once washed in baptism, anointed with the oil of salvation, and fed with the bread of life. This is the body whose hands clothed the poor and embraced the sorrowing. Indeed, the human body is so inextricably associated with the human person that it is hard to think of a human person apart from his or her body. Thus, the Church’s reverence and care for the body grows out of a reverence and concern for the person whom the Church now commends to the care of God.” (OCF 412)

In 1963, the Catholic Church lifted the prohibition forbidding Catholics to choose cremation. The permission was incorporated into the revised Code of Canon Law of 1983 (Canon #1176), as well as into the Order of Christian Funerals.
“The Church strongly prefers cremation to take place after the full funeral liturgy with the body. The presence of the body most clearly brings to mind the life and death of the person and better expresses the values that the Church affirms in its rites”(Church and Cremation, para.3). “The body forcefully brings to mind our belief that our human bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit and destined for future glory at the resurrection of the dead. When the rites of the Order of Christian Funerals are fully celebrated they ritualize the journey from life through death to the fullness of God” (OCF 412).

Disposition and Memorialization of Cremated Remains
“The cremated remains of a body should be treated with the same respect given to the human body from which they come. This includes the use of a worthy vessel to contain the ashes, the manner in which they are carried, the care and attention to appropriate placement and transport, and their final disposition. The cremated remains should be buried in a grave or entombed in a mausoleum or columbarium. The practice of scattering cremated remains on the sea, from the air, or on the ground or keeping cremated remains in the home of a relative or a friend of the deceased are not the reverent disposition that the Church requires. Whenever possible, appropriate means for memorializing the deceased should be utilized, such as a plaque or stone that records the name of the deceased” (OCF 426).
Arrangements should be made with the family of the deceased or funeral director and cemetery for proper handling of the cremated remains. The cremains should be treated with respect when handled, transported and finally put to rest.

Direct Cremation
For particular reasons, the body of the deceased is sometimes cremated before the preferred funeral rites of the Church may be celebrated. This is called direct or immediate cremation. This might occur, for instance, when a person dies a great distance from home. The family might decide to have the body cremated since shipping cremated remains is not as difficult as transporting a human body. Direct or immediate cremation may also be chosen for health reasons, if the person were to die of an infectious disease. It could also be chosen if prolonged severe weather, or some natural disaster, would not allow the usual funeral rituals to take place.

Services with the Cremated Remains
Since 1997, the Church’s Funeral Rites may be celebrated in the presence of the cremated human remains. It is the Church’s preference that its funeral rites take place in the presence of the body of the deceased and not in the presence of the cremated remains, “since the presence of the human body better expresses the values that the Church affirms in its rites.” (Reflections on the Body, Cremation, and Catholic Funeral Rites, Committee on the Liturgy, NCCB, 1997) Assurance must be given that cremated remains will be properly buried or entombed. If a family indicates that the remains are to be scattered or disposed of in an inappropriate way, the cremated remains (or body) may not be present in the church for a funeral liturgy. Scattering is contrary to Catholic teaching that says the cremated human remains should be handled with the same reverence with which we handle a human body.
“It is appropriate that the cremated remains of the body be present for the full course of the funeral rites, including the Vigil for the Deceased(wake), the Funeral Liturgy (Mass of Christian Burial), and the Rite of Committal.” (Reflections on the Body, Cremation, and Catholic Funeral Rites, Committee on the Liturgy, NCCB, 1997)

The church service takes place in the following way. The urn containing the cremated remains may be carried into the church by a member of the family. The priest, waiting at the doors of the church, greets the people, and then he sprinkles the cremated remains with holy water. Following that, the priest and ministers proceed to the altar. The bearer with the cremated remains walks behind them, and then the mourners follow.

The urn with the cremated remains is placed on a stand in the position normally occupied by the casket. The Easter candle may be placed near the cremated remains. This stand is not intended for mementos or other memorabilia, any more than a casket in church is a place for such items. The cremated remains are not covered with any type of pall or white cloth. (OCF Appendix, 434) When all have taken their places, the priest goes to the presidential chair where he prays the opening prayer of the funeral liturgy. The rest of the church service takes place as usual.

It should be noted that the cremated remains should be in a dignified urn, and not in the cardboard box, or the plastic or metal shipping container in which they were returned from the crematory. (OCF Appendix, 417) “Care must be taken that all is carried out with due decorum.” (OCF Appendix, 427) If the cremated remains are not carried into the church during the service, they are placed on the stand by the Easter Candle before the service begins.

The rite of committal follows the church service. The Church strongly recommends that a memorial plaque or stone recording the name of the deceased be placed where the cremated remains are buried or entombed. (OCF Appendix, 417)

Difference
The celebration of the funeral rites in the presence of the cremated remains should look different and feel different from those celebrated in the presence of a human body. The prayers are slightly altered and the signs and symbols are somewhat different. There should be no attempt to make a funeral liturgy in the presence of the cremated remains look like one celebrated in the presence of a human body. For example, the urn with the cremated remains should not be placed in a casket or in some type of receptacle that brings a casket to mind. The urn should not be carried on a device that allows for the use of pall bearers. An urn with cremated remains is not a casket requiring a carriage or the use of pall bearers. The urn should not be covered with any type of miniature funeral pall.
Again, it should be stressed that the funeral rites taking place in the presence of the cremated human remains address a special or extraordinary situation. The Church wishes to show its compassion to families dealing with immediate or direct cremation, but at the same time the Church wishes to recommend that its funeral rites take place in their usual sequence, and in the presence of the body of the deceased.

Reverence
Catholics celebrate the funeral rituals with care and reverence. We do so because we value the body of the deceased. For this was a “body once washed in baptism, anointed with the oil of salvation and fed with the bread of life. This is the body whose hands clothed the poor and embraced the sorrowing.” (Reflections on the Body, Cremation, and Catholic Funeral Rites, Bishops’ Committee on the Liturgy, 1997) This is also the body of a person with whom we still have a relationship – the body of a parent, a sibling, a relative, a friend, a neighbor, a fellow Christian. Out of reverence for the human body, for our relationship with the deceased and for Jesus Christ the Lord of Life who conquered death, we celebrate these funeral rituals. For we are a people who believe that relationships, and the obligations and bonds that come with them, continue beyond death!

Cremation Requirements

  • Original “Certificate of Right of Interment/Entombment” must be presented to cemetery. If lost or misplaced, a notarized affidavit must be signed by  original owner or ALL SURVIVING HEIRS, if the owner is deceased.
  • Original crematory slip.
  • Check for current opening fee.
  • All paperwork must be sent and approved by the cemetery office, prior to Human      Cremated remains being mailed to cemetery. Any Human Cremated remains sent without prior approval will be refused and returned.
  • If a priest is requested to be present at the time of interment it is up to the funeral director or family to make the arrangements.
  • For the protection and sanctity of the Human Cremated remains, the Archdiocese of Newark requires all Human Cremated remains to be interred in an urn vault.  Please call the cemetery for dimensions.
  • Please keep in mind, the family placing the order is taking the responsibility of a funeral director and will have the gravesite service conducted in a timely fashion, as are all funerals

(April 12, 2013)