ETERNAL CREMATORY: PROMOTING THE PROPER CONSERVATION OF CREMAINS

The Philippines is the third-largest Catholic country in the world in terms of population. As devout Catholics, Filipinos were not readily open to the idea of cremation as a means of laying their departed loved ones to rest, as it goes against the teachings of the Catholic Church.

However, after seeing its economic benefits, the Catholic Church eventually accepted cremation as an alternative to traditional burial, provided that the faithful adhere to the guidelines that it has set to make sure that no church rule is disrespected.

Merriam-Webster defines cremation as “the process of reducing a dead body to mostly tiny bits of bone resembling ash that involves exposing the body to flame and intense heat followed by pulverization of bone fragments.” The cremated remains, often called cremains, are then placed in an urn which can be kept in a columbarium.

Eternal Crematory Corporation is among the first companies to provide cremation services in the Philippines. It opened in 1995 at Eternal Gardens Baesa, Caloocan City. After three years of operation, Eternal Crematory brought its expert cremation services to the Province of Laguna. Its second branch open in 1998 in Eternal Gardens Biñan.

With the growing demand for cremation, the company decided that it was time to open the third branch. Thus, Eternal Crematory began operations in Eternal Gardens Dagupan the following year, making it the very first crematory in the Province of Pangasinan.

Because of its continued success and the shift in people’s outlook towards cremation, the company set up its fourth and fifth branches in the Cities of Batangas and Naga in 2016 and 2019, respectively, inside the Eternal Gardens parks in these cities.

To elevate further the quality of its service, Eternal Crematory recently made upgrades, particularly in its branches in Baesa and Dagupan, which both got additional cremation machines. A new crematory building was also built in Eternal Gardens Dagupan, which will house Eternal Crematory’s new machine that allows the branch to accommodate up to nine (9) bodies within 12 hours of operations.

NEW ETERNAL CREMATORY DAGUPAN

SAN LORENZO RUIZ COLUMBARIUM IN BAESA

SAN LORENZO RUIZ COLUMBARIUM IN BIÑAN

ST. JOHN THE EVANGLIST COLUMBARIUM

 

PROPER CONSERVATION OF CREMAINS

When the Catholic Church accepted cremation as a means of laying the departed to rest, the Vatican released a set of guidelines for the proper handling and disposition of cremated remains to ensure that it is practiced by Catholics around the world within the bounds of the faith. This set of guidelines is called Ad resurgendum cum Christo, or “to rise with Christ.”

Section 5 of Ad resurgendum cum Christo focuses on the importance of columbaria as the proper repository of urns that contain the cremains of the deceased. It says, “When, for legitimate motives, cremation of the body has been chosen, the ashes of the faithful must be laid to rest in a sacred place, that is, in a cemetery or, in certain cases, in a church or an area which has been set aside for this purpose, and so dedicated by the competent ecclesial authority (Sec. 5, Ad resurgendum cum Christo).”

Cardinal Gerhard Muller, the former prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, said that placing the cremains in a public place like a columbarium, and marking it with the person’s name given at baptism, is “an expression of belief in the ‘communion of saints,’ the unending unity in Christ of all the baptized, living and dead.”

Section 5 also explains that “the preservation of the ashes of the departed in a sacred place ensures that they are not excluded from the prayers and remembrance of their family or the Christian community. It prevents the faithful departed from being forgotten, or their remains from being shown a lack of respect, which eventuality is possible, most especially once the immediately subsequent generation has too passed away. Also, it prevents any unfitting or superstitious practices.”

San Lorenzo Columbarium

Long before the release of Ad resurgendum cum Christo in 2016, Eternal Crematory has been an advocate of the proper conservation of cremains while promoting cremation as an economical and eco-friendly way of laying the departed to rest.

Eternal Crematory has started installing columbaria at Eternal Gardens branches, believing that there should be a dignified place where the living can gather and remember their deceased loved ones. Recently, Eternal Gardens Baesa and Biñan inaugurated their respective San Lorenzo Ruiz Columbarium to provide more repositories for urns. The columbarium in Baesa offers more than 2,000 new crypts, while the one in Biñan has over 500 new crypts.

Designed to be an economical alternative to the more costly traditional interment, each crypt at the San Lorenzo Columbarium can accommodate up to two urns.

Aside from Baesa and Biñan, the columbarium at Eternal Gardens Balagtas is nearing its completion. Located in the St. Mary Euphrasia Area, the new columbarium at Eternal Gardens Balagtas features more than 1, 500 crypts. Meanwhile, constructions of the columbaria at Eternal Gardens Cabanatuan, Cagayan de Oro, Lipa, Naga, and Santa Rosa are now underway.

Cremation as a more practical means of laying the departed is here to stay. And as it continues to gain popularity in the Philippines, Eternal Crematory will also keep its expansion thrust to reach more Filipinos in other parts of the country. Likewise, the company will remain a staunch advocate of Ad resurgendum cum Christo in line with its commitment to be a preserver of our faith.