By Anne DiBernardo - Florida Catholic
Photographer: COURTESY PHOTO
This statue of Our Lady of Mercy welcomes visitors to the chapel at Our Lady of Mercy Cemetery in Miami.
�It�s actually very consoling,� said Johnson. �When people come here feeling really upset and devastated it�s very important that we are able to minister to their feelings of brokenness and try to help them. When they leave they are not exactly happy, but they are more peaceful.�
He remembers a lady standing in his office one Christmas day feeling totally lost because her mother had died on Christmas. Johnson consoled her by offering a different perspective.
�We have to celebrate Jesus� party in our mind, but your mother actually went to his party,� he told her.
�You�re right,� she answered. �Why should I be sad?�
A few months later Johnson received a phone call from the woman. She told him, �I don�t know who you are or where you came from but you said the perfect thing at the perfect time.�
Burying the dead is one of the Catholic Church�s seven corporal works of mercy. Because the Church teaches that the human body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, burying the dead is an expression of faith and a life-affirming response to the universal mystery of death and resurrection.
The Church teaches that Catholics should be buried on holy ground. For that reason, the Archdiocese of Miami operates two cemeteries. Our Lady of Mercy, located at 11411 N.W. 25 Street in Miami, and Our Lady Queen of Heaven, located at 1500 South State Road 7 in North Lauderdale.
Our Lady of Mercy, founded in 1959, was the first Catholic cemetery to be built in south Florida. Our Lady Queen of Heaven was founded a year later, in 1960. Both cemeteries encompass 125 acres of land and are a division of Catholic Health Services.
The beautifully landscaped cemeteries are designed to provide a sacred, tranquil environment. Family plots are marked off with shrubs and various sections of the cemetery are segregated for deceased bishops, priests and religious. The cemeteries also have sections for deceased infants and unborn babies.
In addition to traditional burial grounds, both cemeteries offer chapels and mausoleums built from Italian marble. There are also many crypt selections and columbaria for inurnment of cremated remains.
Church law does not obligate Catholics to be buried in a Catholic cemetery but the ambience there is a consoling confirmation of the Church�s teachings.
�Everyone needs to know he is part of a master plan and that death is only a process, not the end of the individual, only the end of life on earth,� said Johnson.
Unlike members of other faiths, Catholics believe in the resurrection of the body, and they profess that belief each week at Mass in the Creed: ��We believe in the communion of saints, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.�
The rules and regulations of Catholic cemeteries uphold those beliefs in the sacred dignity of the body. For example, no �voodoo� is allowed, there is a limit to the number of flower vases that can be placed at the burial site, and certain things, such as �smiley faces�, are not permitted in order to maintain a sense of sacredness.
Johnson explained that anyone can be buried in a Catholic cemetery provided they are willing to abide by the rules. However, only a Catholic can own a cemetery plot. A Catholic who owns a cemetery plot can assign the plot to anyone.
Esther Rodriguez�s mother joined her deceased father and sister at Our Lady of Mercy about almost four years ago.
�As a Catholic, I wouldn�t have considered burying my mother at any other place,� she said. �They have compassion whereas at other places it is extra work to arrange a Mass and burial.�
Although Rodriguez�s faith tells her that her parents are not really there any more, she said, �They are there in spirit. It�s a good place to go for a memorial.�
Mass is held at the chapel on the premises of each cemetery three times a week, at which time prayers are offered for all of the people buried there. On Easter Sunday, there is a sunrise service which is very consoling for surviving family members.
According to the Catholic Catechism, the Church �permits cremation, provided that it does not demonstrate a denial of faith in the resurrection of the body� (No. 2301). But the Church says that a cremated body�s ashes should be treated the same as an embalmed body, which means the cremated remains cannot be scattered or stored at home.
According to Johnson, �A body can be cremated at the Florida Mortuary for less than $500 and then be brought to the cemetery to be buried in the wall or in the ground.�
Presently, about 60,000 people are buried at Our Lady of Mercy and about 45,000 are buried at Our Lady Queen of Heaven. Johnson estimated it will take approximately 40 years for the cemeteries to fill up, but he added that it depends on how many cremations take place. As the economy continues to suffer, cremations, which are less expensive, are becoming a more popular option.
Lawn burials at the Catholic cemeteries cost $5,000. Inurnment of cremated remains costs between $3,100 and $4,400 depending on the type of niche selected.
Knowing exactly what people want and not having loved ones make those decisions during a very stressful time are some of the reasons why people should consider purchasing a plot while they are still alive, said Johnson, who was better known as Brother Paul before he became vice president of Catholic Cemeteries 11 years ago.
As Brother Paul of the Little Brothers of Good Shepherd, Johnson served the homeless for two decades as director of Camillus House in Miami. When he received a dispensation from the order and started his new vocation at the cemeteries, he brought with him his spirit of compassion and innovation, which helps defray costs by offering some services on site. For example, the cemetery has tombstones available for purchase as well as on-site engraving, which keep costs down.
�We bury so many young people. Lately it seems we are burying more people who have died prematurely as a result of motorcycle accidents and suicides, which is very sad,� Johnson said.
Photographer: COURTESY PHOTO
Entrance to the mausoleum and chapel at Our Lady Queen of Heaven Cemetery in North Lauderdale, which were dedicated this September.
Photographer: COURTESY PHOTO
The chapel at Our Lady Queen of Heaven Cemetery in North Lauderdale was dedicated this September.
To read about the Catholic teachings on death click here.
