Basic HTML Version
Page A19
JANUARY 2013
FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS
S ec t i on A
Younger
Catholics
More
Traditional
in Recent
Survey
on Burial
Preferences
Catholic burial require-
ments as we thought. Since
this group is now involved
in participating in or actu-
ally making arrangements
for their older parents and
relatives, we need to make
special efforts to show how
a reliance upon God and
our Catholic traditions can
help them persevere in this
most difficult time.”
When it comes to mak-
ing decisions about buri-
al preferences, the survey
revealed several interest-
ing findings. While three-
out-of-five U.S. Catholics
(62%) would be interest-
ed in pre-planning their
burial, only 11% have ac-
tually done so. Of those
11%, just under half
(45%) have actually pre-
paid for their funeral ar-
rangements.
Financial concerns seem
to be the primary reason
when it comes to the dis-
interest in pre-planning as
30% of those who have
not yet pre-planned their
burial cited this as the un-
derlying cause. Lack of se-
rious thought about buri-
al preferences was a close
second with 27% of Cath-
olics who have not yet
pre-planned their burial
feeling this way.
When asked about the
importance of various el-
ements of a funeral or
burial, a staggering 53%
of U.S. Catholics ages 35-
44 felt it was very impor-
tant, extremely important,
or absolutely essential that
someone speak words of
remembrance about them
at their funeral. Interest-
ingly, only 32% of U.S.
Catholics ages 45+ felt a
eulogy was important. It
should be noted that, in
the Archdiocese of New-
ark, eulogies may take
place only before the fu-
neral liturgy begins – not
during Mass.
“We understand that
burial and funeral deci-
sions can be difficult top-
ics of discussion, but think
of it as you would life in-
surance. Often, individu-
als will invest in life insur-
ance to insure that their
loved ones do not have
to deal with hardships
once they are gone,” said
the Archbishop. “Making
burial decisions now will
give loved ones the same
peace of mind during dif-
ficult times.”
For complete survey
methodology, including
weighting variables, please
contact Katie Timinsky,
ktiminsky@gibbs-soel l .
com.
he has dedicated all of his time (and most of his free time)
to helping his funeral home better serve his community.
•
JohnT. McQueen
, owner of
Anderson-McQueen Funer-
al Homes and Cremation Tribute Center
in Florida. Mc-
Queen’s commitment to family – both his own and those
he serves – as well as his extensive community service, has
made him a well-known figure in the funeral profession.
A series of articles on the runners-up was published in the
November issue of
American Funeral Director
, and the winner
was announced in the December issue.
American Funeral Director is published by Kates-Boylston
Publications, which is also the publisher of
American Ceme-
tery
magazine and
Funeral Service Insider
. The company has
been helping funeral professionals succeed and serve since
1877. Learn more a
AFD announces Funeral
Director of the Year
Community Outreach
The Thumbie Fingerprint Scanner
, Meadow Hill’s exciting new
technology offers opportunities for serving the needs of your
community. Just ask Joe Pray and the good people at Pray Funeral
Home in Charlotte, Michigan. Working together with their local police
department and using the scanner, the Prays fingerprinted school-
aged children at their Fall Festival. They secured permission forms,
took prints, entered pertinent data, and created an identity card for each child.
This simple idea brought Pray kudos from community and professional groups
as well as the gratitude of many
Charlotte parents who now feel
better prepared should they
ever be separated from
their children.
For more about
the TFScanner,
contact Missy
877.848.6243
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