The Catholic Church and Cremation

The Catholic Church and Cremation

For most of its 2,000-year history, cremation was forbidden by the Catholic Church. This teaching was born of historical context as well as biblical interpretation. In early times, Romans cremated their dead as a rejection of an afterlife, a direct contradiction to...
A Work of Human Hands – Trappist Caskets and Urns

A Work of Human Hands – Trappist Caskets and Urns

For Trappists, death is understood as a natural part of life. The beauty with which God bestows upon the earth is subject to the burden of time. Seasons change, tides rise and fall, morning light dims with night. Such occurrences remind the monks to reverently regard...