FUNERALS

It may seem strange at first to describe funerals as a celebration! They are indeed a place to bring our grief at the death of someone we love, to share that mourning in community and to be upheld by God and one another. They are also a time to recognize God’s wonderful gift to us through Jesus’ resurrection: the end of pain, suffering and distress, and the beginning of complete healing and joy. Finally they are an opportunity to recognize how the spark of God’s light was given and known through the life of this particular person, to delight in and celebrate the gift that was their time in the world.

Funerals for members of our community typically take place in our church. From time to time we offer a class to assist in planning your funeral, in the understanding that saving your loved ones the strain of making difficult spiritual, financial and logistic decisions at a time of grief is one of the biggest gifts you can give. Our priests are also available to consult on this on an individual basis.

The Memorial Garden

In the Episcopal service for The Burial of the Dead we are made powerfully aware of the presence of God’s love and Spirit in the act of committing those we cherish to holy ground. In recognition of this, and as an expansion of our sacred space and communal life, we have established the Trinity Memorial Garden: a place for prayer, meditation, and final rest for the cremains of the faithful departed.

Cremation is fully in accord with the custom and teaching of the Episcopal Church and is an increasingly common burial option. The garden provides a holy place for those who have chosen this option to rest in what our Book of Common Prayer calls the “sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life.” Cremains are interred by burial in the enclosure’s lawn; above-ground markers are not used.

If you are interested in arranging a place in the Memorial Garden for yourself or a loved one, contact the Trinity Church Office for information.