Question:
My sister received a small amount of ashes of her deceased friend from the children of the deceased . What should she do with these ashes. I know the children should have buried their mother’s remains in holy ground.
Answer:
You are correct that the Church teaches the remains of the deceased faithful should be buried instead of separated or scattered. There is no official teaching of policy about what to do when someone has some of the ashes but not all of the remains of the deceased. I would personally recommend placing them in some kind of dignified container and finding a way to have them buried in consecrated ground.
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.
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