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Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas of the Roman Catholic Diocese of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ explained in a letter to parishioners that the church “teaches us that the remains of cremated bodies should be treated with the same respect given to the corporal body.â€�

The ashes of a loved one should be entombed in a mausoleum, columbarium or be buried in a cemetery, he said in a June 30 letter.

“However, due to financial burdens, some Catholic families have not provided a permanent resting place and have chosen to keep the urn in their possession. This is not in keeping with Catholic teaching,� the bishop said.

The Rev. James Hobert, who sits on the Diocese of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Catholic cemeteries board, said he brought up the issue last year and the board approved “to help people who are in financial needâ€� place their loved one’s ashes in a permanent place.

“We don’t know how many who are out there will come forward,� said Hobert, adding that as pastor of Sacred Heart Church, 601 E. Fort Lowell Road, he has verified the financial need for two families.

“We are happy to be able to do this for families,� said Tom Hanlon, executive director of the diocese’s Catholic Cemeteries. “Our hope is that it will bring them some closure.�

At Avenidas Cremation and Burial, 1376 W. St. Mary’s Road, a cremation costs $645, and permanent urns can run from $30 to $320.

If a family wants full services, the cost is $3,500, not including burial or entombment, said manager Kyle Deneen.

At Holy Hope, a burial for an urn costs $2,325, including grave space, endowment care and installation of an urn vault. For the urn to be placed in a niche in the mausoleum, the cost is $4,800. This does not include cremation, which must be done at a crematory.

Through the diocese’s program, cremains will be entombed in a crypt in a secluded private room at Holy Hope Cemetery Mausoleum, 3555 N. Oracle Road, on Oct. 20. The service will be led by Kicanas.

The crypt can hold about 50 urns, and each urn will have its own designated place.

The name of the deceased will be memorialized in a Book of Remembrance, said Hanlon.

The deadline for applications for ashes to be considered for entombment is Oct. 2.

Families interested in the program can schedule an appointment at Holy Hope by calling 888-0860. The program is limited to families whose loved one died in 2014 or before. A death certificate or cremation certificate must be provided, along with documentation giving permission for entombment and documentation verifying financial need from the family’s pastor.

The Catholic Church has allowed for cremation since Vatican II in the early 1960s, said Hanlon.

For further information, see