MEMORIALIZATION

Memorialization is the act of establishing a permanent means to commemorate the life of the deceased. Several choices exist:

Inurnment - One choice of final resting places for an urn is placement within a niche in a columbarium. Columbaria are most often located within a cemetery and may be an entire building, a room, or a series of niches along inside walls, Outdoor settings may include niches built as part of a garden wall. Options for the placement of memorial plaques or nameplates identifying urns in a columbarium vary with each cemetery's policies. Some churches also provide designated areas for inurnment within their buildings or ground burial.

Burial - Some people prefer earth burial of the urn rather than placement in a columbarium. For burial, many cemeteries now provide special urn gardens which may range from all-natural settings to arrangements of monuments or sculptures and places for personal meditation.

Urns may also be buried in standard cemetery plots. This is frequently the choice when space for the deceased has been reserved in a family plot. In many instances, two urns may be placed in one adult size space. A headstone or marker is engraved accordingly and placed at the burial site.

The urn may also be taken home. This is often a temporary situation, pending a decision regarding the final placement of the remains. For security as well as peace of mind, the urn should ultimately find a permanent place for memorialization.

Scattering - Some cemeteries also provide areas for the scattering of cremated remains. Memorial plaques are often located within these scattering gardens for the names of the deceased.

Today, it is not unusual to hear of someone's cremated remains being scattered in the air or over water. This is legal in many area's and though it may have a particular appeal for some people, survivors' feelings should be carefully considered! In addition to a funeral or memorial service, many people need a specific location -- a focal point -- or just "a place to go" for reflection. This emotional need often surfaces later and may be overlooked if scattering takes place too quickly.