Can My Grandmother Have a Catholic Funeral?

The Church requests that the remains of the deceased not be divided. However, this would not preclude someone from having a Catholic funeral. The faithful have a right to the funeral rites of the Church (can. 1176 §1), and therefore a funeral can be denied only if there is a threat of scandal (can. 1184).

In the situation you describe, it the behavior of the family members that is wrong, not anything that the deceased did. Therefore, your grandmother could most certainly have a Catholic funeral.

The Order of Christian Funerals:

1. The cremated remains of a body should be treated with the same respect given to the human body from which they come. This includes the use of a worthy vessel to contain the ashes, the manner in which they are carried, and the care and attention to appropriate placement and transport, and the final disposition. The cremated remains should be buried in a grave or entombed in a mausoleum or columbarium. The practice of scattering cremated remains on the sea, from the air, or on the ground, or keeping cremated remains on the home of a relative or friend of the deceased are not the reverent disposition that the Church requires.

Nota bene: In December 2023, the Discastery for the Doctrine of the Faith ruled that, provided local civil norms are observed, the Church can authorize a family to keep “a minimal part of the ashes of their relative in a place of significance for the history of the deceased person,” e.g., in the family home.