St. Jerome Columbarium

CATHOLICS AND CREMATION TODAY

Reduced to its simplest and most direct description, the Columbarium is a storage cabinet in which are placed the cremated remains (ashes) of the faithful—which are small in volume, sanitary in content and stored on church property, limited to the members and their families.
 

What are the benefits to our members and to our Church?

For the members:  The economic advantages are many for the family.  A niche in a columbarium is modest in cost, liturgically satisfying, and ecologically sound.  The design of our Columbarium invites solitary contemplation and meditation of dear friends and members of the family.  It also becomes a peaceful gathering place for families and friends to assemble in prayer, love and remembrance, and creates a consoling link between life and death. 

For the Church:  The Columbarium is self-liquidating.  It encourages endowments and gifts in addition to the modest “donation” for the Columbarium niches.  The Columbarium is completely self-supporting and does not use Church funds.
 The revised Funeral Liturgy embodies the age-old Christian tradition that the death of a member of our faith community is a spiritual, even sacramental, event.  In union with the whole Church, Catholic bereaved bring their deceased loved ones to their final place of rest in a spirit of loving care.  Today the choice for cremation by Roman Catholics has found a place within this tradition.

 A Columbarium provides a focus for death and a place where those who grieve can find comfort and support among members of the community who have experience and who know what the loss of a dear one can mean.  It also establishes a bond between the community of the faithful and those who now can only be held in memory.  Inurnment in a columbarium is not only a telling witness to the faith and hope of those who have died, but also an ever present reminder, as the Psalmist says, that we are dust but God’s love will last forever.

 “As a father cares for his children so does the Lord care for those who fear him.  For he Himself knows whereof we are made; he remembers that we are but dust.  Our days are like the grass; we flourish like a flower of the fields.  When the wind goes over it, it is gone, and its place shall know it no more.  But the merciful goodness of the Lord endures forever on those who fear him.”  Psalm 103-13-17

 It is so beautiful to see someone sitting on the bench by the Columbarium meditating and praying.  The setting is so peaceful, surrounded by nature, with the church close by. 

 As society becomes more comfortable with the spiritual and environmental freedoms associated with cremation, people are looking for appropriate memorial settings that will honor their time here on earth. 

 St. Jerome’s columbarium will strengthen the bonds within our community and allow the Church to remain an integral part of our journey here on earth, serving both the deceased and the living. 

Columbarium Pricing

Member Pricing per Niche
 Single........................$2,500.00
 With Companion...........$3,500.00

 Non-Member Price per Niche
 Single.................$3,500.00
With Companion...........$4,500.00

If you would like to find out more about the St. Jerome Columbarium, please contact one of the following Committee members: 

Bobby Jetelina............................Phone: (254)-723-0652, bobby.jetelina@gmail.com
 Mary Cunningham......................Phone: (254) 722-7896
 Katie Ryan...................................Phone: (254) 319-4040, [email protected]
Pat Flavin....................................Phone: (574) 339-9343

We would like to thank John & Ann Moran for the granite benches and Kent & Beverly Keahey for the beautiful Pietà. and Jesus Assending.
July 16, 2012