Cardinal George Reflects

The Church expects those who have been baptized as Catholics to take full advantage of the Order of Christian Funerals. These rites include: prayers at the time of death and thereafter, a wake service allowing time for prayers and support, a Mass of Christian Burial celebrated for both the living and the dead, and burial in a Catholic cemetery as the final resting place for those who have ‘fallen asleep in Christ.’ The Catholic Cemeteries welcomes non-Catholic family members as well. The Catholic Church believes that those who were together in life should not be separated in death.

Catholic Cemeteries have been serving the Catholic Community since 1837, with the founding of St. James Sag Bridge Cemetery. Our cemeteries, numbering forty-four, are owned, operated and guided by the Catholic Bishop of Chicago. Even though the individual who is the Catholic Bishop of Chicago has changed in the course of the years, the cemeteries have been and will continue to be here to serve you and your family. As we look towards the third millennium of Christianity, it is both wonderful and comforting to know that our Catholic cemeteries are caring for and will continue to care for the remains of our loved ones awaiting the resurrection.

In today's changing world with its uncertainty, the Catholic Cemeteries will welcome and serve you and your family whether you use a family owned, privately owned or corporately owned funeral home. Remember to state your preference for a Catholic cemetery when planning funeral services.

Eternal rest grant unto all of our loved ones, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them.