Preplanning

Why should Catholics pre-plan their burial?

Catholics should pre-plan for their burial for both religious and secular reasons.

Marta was glad that she pre-planned.

"My husband and I went to Resurrection Cemetery together to choose the arrangements for our inurnment. We had been through several recent family funerals and did not want our children to struggle with the arrangements. The meeting at Resurrection was well organized and put us at ease.  When my husband died, it was so easy to just notify the Cemetery and know that everything was ready for me. I am so thankful that I did not have to make difficult choices during that time, and spend time worrying about what was correct or worry that it would be what my husband wanted. I already knew."

Contact your local Catholic Cemetery to schedule a pre-planning appointment today.

Families come to the Diocesan Catholic Cemeteries to arrange for burial space in two environments, at-need and pre-need.

At-Need: 

When a death has occurred and there is an immediate need for the selection of appropriate space.

Pre-Need:

When no death has occurred and there is a desire to arrange for the purchase of burial, entombment or inurnment (cremation) property, in advance of need.

The Funeral Liturgy, with its three components – Vigil, Mass with the Body Present, Committal and Farewell – invites personalization and participation by bereaved family and friends. If details such as cemetery selections are not handled well in advance, there is less time for the type of planning that makes meaningful participation in the Funeral Liturgy possible.

Catholics and their families often have questions about the Church’s position on matters relating to death, funeral, burial and cremation. The Catholic pre-need counselor, having been trained in these matters, is able to either answer questions or refer people to those who can.

Pre-need discussion is an opportunity for the welcoming home of those baptized Catholics who have not been active in the Church. The pre-need counselor is able to extend a welcome and direct individuals to the proper parishes and individuals who can be of assistance in their particular situation.

Because the Church’s position on cremation has changed and because there are liturgical implications involved in the selection of cremation, it is important to explore these issues fully so that informed decisions can be made.

Testimony from Irma and Gary

"When my father passed away very unexpectedly, it was quite difficult for my siblings and I to make the necessary arrangements. My father was 62 years young and full of life, it seemed. The emotional roller coaster we were on was devastating. Decisions had to be made and who knew what he wanted? Where he would want to be buried? We didn’t realize it at the time, but there were things we overlooked or wished we had done differently.

"I knew then, I never wanted our children in that situation, which has led us to pre-planning. Not an easy thing to think about, harder to talk about, but still necessary. It allows us to think things through and make informed, careful choices.

"For us, the first choice was where to be buried. We chose Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Janesville. It’s a beautiful cemetery with a rural setting that offers many options for burials. We found the staff very helpful and caring and we feel comfortable with the decisions we made there. Pre-planning at Mt.Olivet has given us peace of mind."

Peace of mind in knowing everything will be handled according to your wishes.

If there is no pre-planning, there is little opportunity at the time of need to discuss particular choices and make sound decisions based on reason and not emotion.

Pre-planning helps to lift the financial burden from your spouse, children and relatives, thereby preventing overspending during an extremely emotional time for the family.

Pre-planning can help you save on funeral expenses by locking in prices well in advance for the products and services that will be used sometime in the future.