Choosing a Religious Cemetery for a Final Resting Place

A religious cemetery is a burial ground that is owned by some sort of religiously affiliated organization. Usually, this is a church but it can also apply to denominations that are not recognized as a Christian church, Jewish synagogue, or Muslim Mosque.

Is a Religious Cemetery Your First Choice?

In some religious circles there is a simple assumption that one will be buried in a religious cemetery based on the notion that you have been a member of a certain church or religious organization for a period of time. However, if you are not completely sure that you want to be buried there, you do have other options if you're planning your own funeral.

For religious burial there used to be qualifiers, like having been a member of the church that owns the burial grounds. Yet today many churches and other religious organizations will open up their burial grounds to non-members of the church. Some burial grounds require that you are at least a member of the same denomination, as in Christian, Jewish, or otherwise. Yet there are those that will open up the grounds to anyone who wishes to be buried there.

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If you have a specific reason for wanting to be buried in a religiously owned ground but you don't think you would qualify under the organization's rules you can always talk to the clergy to find out if they can make an exception. Often they will if they understand the reason unless their rules are highly stringent.

Planning your own burial this way can be difficult, but often discussing your wishes with the clergy can help you come to terms with the process and help you relieve your family of the responsibility of making such choices.

Choosing a Religious Cemetery for a Loved One

If your loved one was of devout faith or belonged to a particular religious organization usually it's easy to determine whether a religious cemetery is the best final resting place. When they haven't been associated with an actual institution the decision can be just a little bit harder.

For some people the need for religious sanctity is pretty clear and obvious. If you are concerned about making sure that a loved one gets into a specific burial ground that is owned by a religious affiliation there are people that can be helpful to you. Speaking directly with members of the clergy or asking the funeral home director to help you can be a good way of making a decision.

Remember that a religious cemetery can often be a little more expensive than other options because it is privately owned and maintained. If cost is a huge factor in how you intend on burying a loved one, you might want to consider a public cemetery instead.

Burial, Internment, and Ashes

You don't necessarily have to bury a loved one in the ground in order to use a religious cemetery. There are plenty of burial options that allow you to intern cremation ashes within the boundaries of the burial grounds. This is often an option that is less expensive and can be one that meets everyone's needs.

If you or a loved one has had their heart set on being laid to rest in a specific religiously affiliated cemetery then you should double check and make sure internment of ashes is possible before deciding to go through with cremation.

If the aspect of cremation is more important than the cemetery choice you can find an alternative final resting place that is still affiliated with the same denomination.

The Final Decision

The final decision regarding where you bury a loved one is really a decision based on what you know about your loved one and what feels right to you. Not everyone will be perfectly happy with any decision you make. Some will believe your loved one should be buried in one place while others may believe they should be buried elsewhere. The fact of the matter is that if you're the one making the decision then you can only make the best decision possible with the information you have.

* A religious cemetery is often a choice made long before death for the devout, but what about those who have little to no religious affiliation?