This is my first (probable last or rare) post here, though I’ve been a long time lurker. I work in agriculture but I’m seriously considering getting my funeral director’s license as a retirement career and I sometimes help out at a local funeral home when they get busy. With that background I wanted to share some information that may be useful.
Funerals can be expensive. The National Funeral Director’s Association states that the average cost of a traditional funeral in the U.S. in 2012 was $7,045, which included a $2,395 casket. Looking at their survey format one would likely need to add $100 - $200 for the evening Vigil / Rosary service for a Catholic funeral.
null I don’t have an authoritative source for average cemetery costs but based on local experience the plot will be $800 - $2,000; opening and closing fees range from $400 to over $800, a flat granite marker begins at around $550. A grave liner is typically required by the cemetery (so that the ground doesn’t sink as the casket and remains naturally decompose). These begin at around $400 for a basic concrete liner to over $2,000 for a sealed vault, with several options in between. Mausoleum crypts are more expensive to purchase but one saves on the expense of a marker and vault, and interment fees are usually much lower. Most cemeteries will justifiably charge (often a requirement of state regulation) an endowment fee, which provides a fund to pay for continuous care of the property when it is full and no longer receiving income from burial services. This is typically 10% of the current cost of the plot, crypt, or niche but can vary by location and state. Also, in my experience, municipal or otherwise public cemeteries are often less expensive than “private”, “corporate”, “non profit ‘community owned’” and even Catholic cemeteries. FYI my personal arrangements are at Holy Cross Cemetery which is owned and operated by the Diocese of Spokane, WA, where four generations of my family are interred.
Other costs that may be applicable, depending on one’s location, are sales tax and recording fees for the death certificate, burial permit, etc. Most newspapers charge by the column inch for the obituary (one service a good funeral home provides is to assist the family in editing an obituary so that all desired information is included in the most concise manner). An honorarium or stipend is given to the priest who says the Mass and performs the committal service. One would be given to the priest, deacon, or religious who leads the Rosary (which is often now led by a family member, at least locally). There are stipends for the organist, choir, or cantor, as well as the alter servers. Typically there is a lunch or reception after the committal, which provides a repast for the grieving family and those who have traveled some distance, as well as an opportunity to visit and share stories. Often the parish Altar Society provides this as part of their apostolate, but a donation from families who are able is greatly appreciated.
My point is that a traditional funeral, which traditional Catholics would want,
can be very expensive, but these costs can be moderated with some judicious planning, and most families would find it prudent to set aside funds in some manner.
Shop around a head of time. Most people don’t want to think about death or shop for it, but doing so can save you LOTS of money. There can be a WIDE range in pricing between local mortuaries and cemeteries and they are more than willing to visit with you before the time of need. Federal Trade Commission regulations require funeral homes to provide anyone who asks in person with their General Price List (GPL), which itemizes their fees for services and general merchandise. They are not required to mail or fax it without charging the cost of the transmission, but many mortuaries now have their GPL and casket offerings on their web site. Ask for their casket and vault price list also. They probable will also include their “complete service packages”, which are often discounted from the itemized GPL pricing. These sometimes offer good value provided that they don’t include too many “extras” you don’t want or need. Take these lists home and study them. Ask friends, relatives, and your priest for their experience with local funeral homes and cemeteries. One consideration some might add if there isn’t a traditional chapel where they live is the suitability of mortuary’s chapel for a Requiem Mass if they need to have a visiting priest come.
As for caskets, usually a suitable basic 20 gage metal (in a variety of colors) would be available in the $900 - $1200 range. Cloth covered caskets with a pine or redwood, particle board, or fiberboard (i.e. cardboard) base may also be offered for less. Some funeral homes offer a good range across the price spectrum, some don’t. Some allow cremation caskets (typically less expensive) to be purchased for ground burial, some don’t. Don’t be afraid to be assertive and ask if they can show you other options from the catalog if you would like to see more options. Most mortuaries display a casket offering of 12 – 20 units (what they can display in their space, and often showing too many more is over whelming for families), but they have access to many more from their supplier, so don’t be afraid to ask for more choices if you wish, and be suspicious if they are unwilling.
Once you have determined the most suitable provider for funeral service and burial, and have added up what the expense will be (including the other expenses I referenced in paragraph four), it is time to see that sufficient funds might be available for those expenses. Cemetery property can typically be purchased ahead of time by monthly payments interest free, within a given time span. Some cemeteries may discount ancillary items (internment fees, marker, grave liner or vault) if purchased at the same time and included in the monthly payment. Some mortuaries will “freeze” certain costs (service fees, casket prices) if payment is arranged in advance (i.e., one will be charged what things cost now, not what they may rise to at time of need). Life insurance is typically the method used, though some offer a trust account (often through a State’s funeral directors association). If one already has a whole life insurance policy (which I have through the Knights of Columbus) that may cover things also, but not provide the “price freeze protection”; one will be charged what things cost at time of need. There is a $250.00 Social Security death benefit that everyone is entitled to (not much, but every little bit helps). Veterans of military service are entitled to a flag, a free military grave marker (some funeral homes or cemeteries won’t mention this as they don’t want to loose “the sale”; you may have to ask), and burial in a National Cemetery (space and internment fees are covered; family has to arrange transportation cost of the cemetery isn’t local).
I hope some of this information may be helpful to some. Please feel free to ask any questions I may be able to answer or try to point you to an informative source for an answer. As I mentioned at the beginning, I won’t be posting here but I do look in on this forum often.
Topic: Cremation (Read 4532 times)