Coffin Or Casket – What Is Used More In Christian Funerals?

A very important part of the process of Christian funerals is arranging a casket or a coffin. Some people don’t know the difference between them and what they are concerned about is only that they have to get one.

This is why we have written this post that helps you understand these two separate things and the difference between them.

Coffin vs. Casket – What’s the Difference?

According to the experts of funeral homes, there are several differences between them and a major one is that the coffins are wider at the top, around the shoulders and taper down towards the feet.

On the other hand, there are caskets that are more rectangular in shape and often have a split lid. The main advantage of this lid is that only half of the lid or cover can be opened for viewing and other process during Christian funerals.

Which Is More Popular In Australia?

The experts of reputed funeral homes will help you with Christian funeral service outline process and always recommend you to go with a coffin.

The same is more popular in Australia and so much that 80 out of 100 people choose a coffin over a casket.

There are no reasons researched or studied about the same and people say that they choose what their forefathers picked for their forefathers.

Is There Any Difference In The Price Of Coffin And Casket?

The cost of a coffin is much lower as compared to the cost of the casket and this might be another reason behind people preferring them over caskets.

However, the reason given by them, i.e. mentioned above sounds more realistic and primary than this price factor.

The shape of a coffin is octagonal and hence, less material and effort as well as time is consumed in its manufacturing and this fact makes them more cost-effective.

Do you know how arrangements are made in different Christian Funerals.

UNDERSTAND THE NORMS OF CATHOLIC CREMATIONS

Upon going through the preferences of a catholic church, you will come across a whole new aspect that they keep in related to funerals of the last ceremony of a person’s life.

You will see that in a majority of options, they prefer in-ground burial at catholic cemeteries or even an entombment of the deceased person’s body. But in the past few years, things have changed swiftly and people have started getting inclined towards catholic cremations as well.

The main reason is the fact that it is a less time consuming option as well as a more affordable one too.

However, a number of things are to be kept in mind while preferring this option and they have been discussed here in this post.

Burial Items Required for a Catholic Cremation:

If you believe that burial is the best option, you will have to look for one of the most reliable catholic cemeteries in Penrith. Other than this, a number of other burial items would be required and the list starts from here.

Gravesite:

• (The space or plot within a cemetery) or mausoleum (private or public structure interring multiple people)

Urn

• The vessel to house the cremated remains

Vault

• A concrete enclosure that serves to protect the urn and also provides safe footing for visitors

Opening-and-closing service

• You will require an opening of a gravesite fir burial and then, back-filling would also be needed for the same site.
• Then, some landscaping would be needed to restore the appearance of a gravesite.
• Something similar would be required for interment in a mausoleum.

An interesting fact regarding this method is that it will lower the cost of cremation service significantly and you will simply have to get in touch with one of the best catholic cemeteries for this.

You may also know about:  Some Ceremonies and Rituals Related To Catholic Funerals

Some Norms for Funeral Rites with Catholic Cremation:

• According to reputed funeral directors, the cremated remains are to be buried in a cemetery
• The alternative to this is entombment in a mausoleum or columbarium (cf. OCF, no. 417)
• Experts say that it is not permitted at all to scatter the cremation remains

Dress Codes Related Dos and Don’ts for Christian Cremations and Funerals

As you decide to visit a funeral ceremony or attend a Christian cremation, ideally, your attempt should be to stay as conservative as possible. Therefore, the best solution is to stay with the basics and wear black dress to show respect to the deceased as well as the event. This means that you should entirely avoid any bright colours, flashy prints, and glittery fabrics. But this is only the basic information and there are a number of dos and don’ts to follow regarding these events. Here in this post, we take a look at some do’s and don’ts regarding what to wear during Christian cremations and funerals.

What to Wear to a Funeral: Dos and Don’ts

DO:

• While visiting Christian cemeteries, you need to consider where and when the service is to be held.
• For example – a memorial service at a beach will be more casual than a service at a place of worship.

Use Common Sense:

• When you are visiting the funeral ceremony of someone whom you know to be quite formal, it’s beneficial to get attire that is more conservative.

Ask for Advice

• If you are kind of confused because no dress cede has been recommended, you should not hesitate from asking an immediate family member of the deceased about the dress code.
• This very information can also be fetched from a funeral director or the officials of the chosen Christian cemeteries.
• There are cases that the deceased had some specific requirements and this information could be shared only a family member or the appointed funeral director.
• For example, someone with a hearty sense of humour may have specified in his or her funeral plan that they would like everyone to wear green.

What Not To Wear To a Funeral or a Christian Cremation?

DON’TS:

• Don’t pick this time to be a rebel
• Never under dress and step away from the flip flops!
• Don’t forget why you are there and show respect to the deceased

Some Etiquette That You Should Know About Funerals and Christian Cremations

Visiting Christian cemeteries for cremations and funerals is a serious affair and something that you should never take seriously. There are a number of etiquette’s to follow and at the same time, it has to be ensured that nobody’s sentiments are jolted by your actions. To make sure that no offence is done, it is important for you to read this post that has some tips and etiquette’s to follow.

What to Wear?

• According to the experts, whether they are funerals or Christian cremations, the best option in terms of colour is black or something dark.
• This could include a number of other shades as well like blues, greys, browns, etc., but at the same time, you have to be dressed really simply and conservatively.
• As a man, you should ideally flaunt a jacket and a tie paired with dress shoes.
• But if you are a woman, your best options are a simple dress or just a simple suit and the jewellery should be really simple and minimum too.

What to Say?

• Some people don’t really find the right words to show their sympathy to the breed family or it is simply not getting the right feel or mood to express their grief over this loss.
• This is a very common and a serious problem and therefore, we have tried to address it here and experts from Christian cemeteries say that to begin, offer your condolences to the family.
• However, if you are comfortable, share a memory of the deceased that you have in your mind.

What Not to Say?

• The bigger question is what not to say at funerals or Christian cremations and the answer is really simple that you should not speak anything that could hurt the family or increase their pain.
• Condolences are alright, but you should stop yourself from saying that the passing away was good because the deceased was so much in pain or he/she was suffering from an incurable disease.

Tips on Funerals Services Attire

If this is the first time that you are attending funeral services, getting confused about a number of things is very obvious. One of the biggest confusions lies regarding the attire to wear in the event and in this regards, experts from funeral homes have different recommendations to make. The post that you read here will give you an idea of what options you have in terms of funeral attire.

The First Guideline Is What Does the Family Want

• In case, you have received some recommendations or guidelines about the dress code, the things would be very clear to understand.
• In some cases, it happens that along with the invitation, there comes some guidelines regarding the dress code and it is expected from you to follow it without fail.
• Often, the dress code is something that deceased loved to wear or something related to the profession of the deceased or dresses based on his/her favourite colour.
• Sometimes, when the family thinks that it is an occasion to celebrate the life of the deceased, they will send instruction to wear clothes of bright colours rather than plain black or traditionally used colours.

The Second Guideline Is To Be Respectful In What You Wear

• Experts say that if you have received no instructions related to dress code, you are free to wear anything, but the attire chosen should be respectful.

The Third Guideline Is Don’t Draw Attention to Yourself By What You Wear

• Showing respect to the deceased during funerals services is one thing and it can also be done by wearing clothes in a formal manner.
• The idea is to avoid wearing anything fancy or bizarre or something that will pull everybody’s attention during funeral services and this again brings us to choosing traditional attire over any type of experimentation.

Two of the Most Popular Funeral Services and Their Features

The time has changed completely and now memorial as well as funeral services can be customised and made unique to match the uniqueness of the deceased. For this, the funeral home as well as the family has to discuss thoroughly on every matter to find out the best ways to celebrate the life of the deceased in true terms.

Basically, it is the role of the family to choose the service and the funeral home plays its role by defining the details of that service to the family. In this post, we discuss the two top kinds of funerals services offered by these service providers.

Traditional Funeral Services

• This type often involves the body placed in the casket that could be open or close and this moment is assumed as a time for the family to gather with friends and relatives.
• This gathering is done to celebrate the life of the deceased and is followed by some other services that can take place either in the church or at the funeral home or at the location decided by the deceased.
• In most cases, traditional services usually end with a graveside service at a cemetery.

Traditional Followed by Cremation

• This service takes place while the body is kept inside the casket that could be opened or closed and the visitation program is held.
• Experts say that this program could take place in the church, in the funeral home, at the place decided by the deceased or at the place chosen by the family of the deceased.
• After the visitation is completed and also all other events, the body is forwarded for cremation and once, cremation is over, the family can choose to have a graveside service or keep the cremains.
• Funeral homes can do all services in one day (traditional service in the morning, followed by cremation, followed by burial of cremains in afternoon).

What to Do Immediately After Death?

This post is solely dedicated to the arrangements to be immediately done after the passing away of a beloved family member. So we will not delay in starting the topic and will break the post in the following sections.

Things to Do Immediately After Death:

Death at the Hospital

• In case, the death has occurred at the hospital, the first step would be to ask the doctor to issue a death certificate.
• You can do it on your own or ask the funeral services Penrith provider to work on is on your behalf.

Death at Home

• If the death occurs at home and was expected, call your doctor who will issue a Doctor’s Certificate of Cause of Death.
• However, if the death has occurred unexpectedly at home, it would the first role to call in the police investigation team.
• Based on the investigation and suggestions given by the police, you can call the doctor issue a Doctor’s Certificate of Cause of Death.

Prepaid Funerals, Funeral Bonds and Insurance

• If you get a NoC from the police, you can think about the last ceremony of the deceased, but before taking any step, you need to do the following.
• Experts say that you need to understand whether or not, the deceased had made any existing funeral and/or financial arrangements for their funeral.

Prepaid Funeral

• In case, there is a funeral plan, it would surely include the type of funeral music to be played and in that case, you will have to act as per the guidelines of the plan.

Funeral Bond

• In case of funeral bond, it would become your duty to use the fund in the funeral costs.
• But, because it can be nominated to a particular funeral director, you need to be very particular about the funeral services Penrith and the director chosen by you.

Some Points to Keep in Mind Regarding Catholic Funerals

Often people are a kind of intimidated or confused about attending catholic funerals thinking that they are way too strict than usual. However, this fact applies only on the first-timers and those who have no idea or don’t want to implement the information catered to them through the invitation card. Therefore, this post discusses some tips and advice that will help you prepare for the event and attend it with full confidence.

Confirm the Details

• According to the experts, the first thing you should do is confirming the details regarding the event by yourself.
• The reason is that the family of the deceased is either too busy to reach out every guest personally or not in the right frame of mind.
• In such situations, the best step is to get into the DIY mode and do a bit of research.
• This research could start from the Internet and the website of the funeral home, where you will find the obituary listing and details regarding the entire event.
• You can get to know everything right from the dates, times and locations for each part of the service.
• In case of questions and confusions, it’s better to call the funeral home directly rather than trying to reach the family of the deceased.

Dress Appropriately

• The next step is wearing the dress for catholic funerals accordingly and following the mentioned dress code, if it’s there on the invitation card.
• Experts say that there is no reason to stay in any stress and basically you should stay very basic, if you are confused.
• The main thing to keep in mind is to be tasteful and appropriate and use nothing too bright.
• You should keep jewellery basic and avoid anything overly flashy or fashionably risky.
• Experts of cremation services recommend that shorts, T-Shirts or other beachwear are not recommended.

Lesser Known Services Offered By Funeral Directors

Nobody wants to see the face of funeral homes, but eventually, everyone has to be a part of several ceremonies of family and friends there. Because it’s a lesser visited place, people often have no idea or very little and wrong information about the services that they can get from there. In this post, we take a look at some rather unknown services rendered by the staff of funeral homes.

Acting As a Grief Counsellor

• People often look funeral directors as a seller of coffins and caskets, but a lesser known thing is that they also serve as grief counsellors.
• Not all of them do this, but yes, there are certified grief counsellors who can help grieved families tackle the hard time.
• This means that these funeral directors are also the people whom you need the most during hard times.

An All-Encompassing Service Provider

• Several services offered by these professionals make them an all-encompassing service provider in terms of funeral arrangements.
• This means that these professionals will help you if you are facing hard time in writing an obituary.
• This means that if you are facing this problem, there is no need to look anywhere else than these funeral directors.

Florists

• These funeral homes also offer services related to flowers for such occasions and you can get them at affordable rates.
• The reason is that they are in direct touch with flower farmers who sell their commodity to them at very controlled rates.
• All you have to do is telling them about the kind or colour of flowers you would like or leave the decision up to them.

Other Than These, They Also –

• Do the entire paperwork on behalf of their clients.
• Help in obtaining all the necessary documents.
• Arrange the accommodations for out of town guests.
• Make reservations at hotels and even provide snacks
• Offer full concierge services.

Top Replacements of Flowers in Funerals Services

In terms of funeral services, funeral flowers are one of the most aggressively practiced traditions. To show their sympathy to the mourning family members, those attending the event come up with flowers. There is also a trend of sending floral tributes to the director so they can be included in the service.

However, in the past some years, things are transforming and you will find funeral homes suggesting several other newer things that can replace flowers. In this post, we take a look at some of them.

A potted plant

Flowering cactus potted plant

• This option comes in handy as sending flowers gives a feel as if the event is now really over and your loved one is really gone for good.
• In such cases, the best option is handing a potted plant, as it is more long-lasting and will brighten up a room long after flower arrangements have been consigned to the rubbish bin.
• Another reason behind this recommendation is that the person in grief will often forget or would be too occupied to water it.
• The best examples of potted plants are Jade Plants (Crassula ovata), Crown of Thorns (Euphorbia milii), and most kinds of succulents.

Food

Baked lasagne as a gift for bereaved friend

• The next recommendation made by the experts of funerals services is the food and experts consider cooking for the bereaved as a great, practical way to lend support.
• This is why they feel that this option can easily replace sympathy flowers and simply by sending a basket of muffins or other sweet treats, you can put a huge impression.
• Be sure to include a heartfelt condolence message with either.
• Classics include things like lasagne, chicken casserole and shepherd’s pie – all recipes that can be prepared in advance and heated up easily.

A charitable donation

Donating to charity online

• One more very impressive replacement of flowers in funeral services is an online charity donation.
• The best idea is to donate for the cause that was closest to the deceased’s heart.
• If the deceased was battling a particular illness, donations to charities researching a cure may be appropriate.