In committing the body to its resting place, the community expresses the hope that, with all those who have gone before marked with the sign of faith, the deceased awaits the glory of the Resurrection. The rite of committal is an expression of the communion that exists between the Church on earth and the Church in heaven — the deceased passes with the farewell prayers of the community of believers into the welcoming company of those who need faith no longer but see God face to face. —Order of Christian Funerals, paragraph 206
All too often, the Catholic Cemeteries are asked to schedule a burial with no indication about the Rite of Committal. All too often no one, except a representative of the funeral home, accompanies the deceased, whether full-body or cremated, to the cemetery.
Viewing the trip to the cemetery as an inconvenience, time constraints or simply a lack of understanding are usually the reasons. Sometimes the priest will have done the committal prayers in the church at the end of the Funeral Mass. The cemetery and the prayers, however, are united. The committal is placing the remains of the deceased in the actual place of burial or at least being near the place of burial.
The Archdiocese of Milwaukee Catholic Cemeteries offers our Spiritual Director, as well as several permanent deacons, to perform the Rite of Committal and to counsel the family of the deceased about the necessary and significant impact of the Order of Christian Funerals.