The home I grew up in had an open fire, with many a chilly winter’s night gathered around its warmth. There were two rituals attached to the winter fire. One was setting the fire with crushed newspaper, strips of kindling, and pieces of larger wood. Setting the fire so it lit readily and well was Read more
Last week the Bishops of New Zealand issued a statement asking Catholics to treat the ashes of their loved ones with respect when they have chosen to have their bodies cremated. This follows on the recent statement the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith about cremation and the scattering of ashes. “The loss of Read more
The Auckland Council has scrapped a bylaw change which would have required people to get council approval to scatter ashes in public places. Under the original proposal for the Cemeteries and Crematoria Bylaw, city residents would have had to get written permission to scatter their loved ones’ ashes. Continue reading
Charlie Nguyen, the owner of Charlie’s Liquor and Smoke Shop in Wichita, Kansas, found the unusual item during his shift. The bag said ‘remains of Helen K. Dapron’ and gave her apparent dates of birth and death as October 1930 and June 2010. Charlie told local television station KSN: ‘Just like that, people leave phone, Read more
The Catholic Church in Italy has issued new guidelines that rule out scattering the cremated remains of a person or the keeping them in an urn at home. ‘Cremation is considered as concluded when the urn is deposited in the cemetery,’ says the appendix to the new edition of Funeral Rites issued by Italian Episcopal Read more
Episcopal parishes throughout the United States kicked off Lent by bringing ashes to the streets. Dubbed “Ashes to Go”, the church put a contemporary spin on the Ash Wednesday practice of smudging a cross of ashes on people’s foreheads by offering the ashes in train stations, coffee shops and other public spots. The practice began Read more
In a wretched corner of the Manila Bay waterfront, 300 families scratch a subsistence out of making charcoal. Now even that living is threatened. For nearly 10 years the workers of Ulingan squatter community in Tondo on Manila Bay have earnt a scant income making charcoal. To most people their working and living conditions would Read more