Friday, April 5, 2013

A Look at Columbariums


Outside Columbarium
Similar to a mausoleum, a private or public structure that holds coffins, a columbarium is a structure that has niches or vaults to hold urns that contain cremains (cremated remains).




Six-sided Columbarium
It may consist of a wall or ground structure built of stone, brick, granite, or marble.  Or, it may be in a building where coffins and urns are placed in a comfortable environment with areas of reflection for family members to use when visiting.




Roman Columbarium
Roman Columba
Columbariums were first used by the Romans.  The ashes of loved ones were put in ornate urns and placed in sacred underground chambers, which were decorated with frescos and mosaics.  The word columbarium is from the Latin term columba which means, “dwelling place of the dove.” A columba originally meant a sectional housing structure for doves and pigeons, what is now called a dovecote.


Interior Columbarium
For hundreds of years, churches were the main places where columbariums were found. Many Catholic churches have columbariums located in them. The most favored locations for religious columbariums are within the church, or in church cemeteries.






Resurrection Mausoleum & Columbarium
Pickle Studio
One such columbarium is in the Midwest.  The Resurrection Mausoleum and Columbarium in Justice, Illinois, was constructed in 1969.  The Conrad Pickel Studio of Vero Beach, Florida, began work on the stained glass windows in the early 1960’s.  Over 22,000 square feet of faceted glass were used in the designs. 

Inside Resurrection
Outside Resurrection
This site has become a major architectural landmark and its faceted glass walls are the largest glass installation in the world.

The Resurrection Mausoleum and Columbarium is located at 7201 Archer Avenue in the Chicago suburb of Justice.  For more information phone (708) 449-6100 or visit http://www.catholiccemeterieschicago.org

Buddhist Columbarium
Since ancient times, Buddhism has also allowed the ashes of the deceased to be placed in urns and deposited in columbariums.  These structures may be attached to a Buddhist temple.







Exterior Columbariium
Mausoleum & Columbarium in Indianapolis
Now, public cemeteries and mausoleums have also added columbariums to their options.  A columbarium may be a freestanding unit, or part of a large, public mausoleum.




Inside Marble Niches
The structure may consist of an outdoor wall containing niches.  Or may be inside a building constructed just for this purpose. 






For Urns & Caskets
Columbariums are also located in public mausoleums, built in walls, along side the vaults for coffins.






The cremation urns or boxes are usually a specific size and are placed inside the lined columbarium niche.  The door is then closed and locked. 




Niche doors may be decorated with the deceased’s photo, or symbols of their life.

Garden Wall Columbarium
Columbariums allow family members another option when burial of a loved one may be too costly, or too far removed from where they are.  This lets the family “move” a loved one with them, if the need arises, yet still provides a special place where family and friends can remember and memorialize their loved one.

Interior Columbarium
A columbarium does not require an in-earth burial, but instead, allows for the interment of a loved one in a structure, away from the elements.  Most columbariums have seating available for the comfort of those who come to visit, and reflect.  As our world becomes more populated, you will see the need for more columbariums.  Will they eventually replace in-ground cemeteries?  Only time will tell…

~ Joy

Friday, March 29, 2013

Cemetery Angels at Easter

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Angels abound in the cemetery.  They have been described since ancient times as the guardians, guides, and intercedents for humans; as well as carrying out heavenly tasks, and acting as messengers of God.




Angels are considered to be spiritual beings that take on a human form with wings.

Angels are prevalently mentioned in the Bible during the Passover and Easter seasons.    They are recognized in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, although most Eastern religions do not believe in angels.



It is an angel that appears to Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of James, at the cross.

It is an angel, which rolls the stone away to reveal an empty tomb on Easter Monday.



Angels in the cemetery offer us clues to their identities, if we search for the symbolism surrounding them.

An agent of God can be seen pointing the way to heaven for a departed soul, or holding the wreath of victory over death.



There are also several famous angels found in the cemetery.  In Thomas Heywood’s Hierarchy of Blessed Angels, written in 1635, the Angels of the Four Winds are Gabriel of the north winds, Michael of the east winds, Raphael of the west winds, and Uriel of the south winds.




Gabriel is God’s primary messenger and the first angel to be mentioned by name in the Bible.

Gabriel is an angel in many religions including Judaism, Christianity and Islam.  He is mentioned in religions such as Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, Lutheranism, Anglican Communion, and the Catholic Church.

Gabriel is considered to be a kind angel who performs acts of healing.  He is easy to identify in the cemetery – Look for his horn. Gabriel is usually shown with his horn in his hand or blowing his horn to indicate the Second Coming.






Another well known angel is Michael.  Michael is an archangel and known as the holy fighter.  He performs acts of justice and is considered the most “God-like” of the angels.

In the New Testament, Michael is the leader of God’s armies against Satan’s forces.  He is considered an angel in Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Lutheranism, Islam, Judaism, Anglicanism, and Oriental Orthodoxy.

Michael is usually seen with a sword, carrying a banner or scales (for justice,) or seen stepping on the devil.


 
Another cemetery angel is Raphael. He is recognized as an archangel in Christianity, Islam and Judaism.  Raphael is the angel that heals.

Raphael may be seen holding a bottle or flask.  He can also be identified when carrying a staff or fish.



Uriel is an archangel recognized in such religions as Judaism, Anglican, Eastern Orthodoxy, Catholicism, and Oriental Orthodoxy. He is known as the “light of God.”

Uriel is depicted in the Apocalypse of Peter as the angel of repentance. Uriel is also the angel that checks the doors of Egypt for lamb’s blood.  He is the keeper of the key to the Pit during the end of times, and can be identified carrying a sword or a palm.


Yet another angel seen in the cemetery but usually not identified is Samael.
Samael is regarded as an angel who is both good and wicked.  In Judaism, he is the angel that tempted Eve. He is also the angel of death.

Samael is depicted in the cemetery as the grim reaper with a scythe in hand.



There are said to be over 30 varieties of angels, but most are not given names.  They are shown to be like humans with wings and halos; acting as the servants of God, messengers of God, and who intercede between humans and God.


Angels are considered to be benevolent spirits, who protect and guide humans before and after death.  This may be why they are so prevalent in cemeteries around the world – Helping those who have passed, and comforting those who remain…


~ Joy

Friday, March 22, 2013

Using the Internet to Identify the Dead

Cook County Medical Examiner's
 
Two weeks ago the Cook County Illinois Medical Examiner’s Office made a bold move.  The office began releasing photos of unidentified dead bodies on its webpage.  The hope is that someone might be able to ID a missing family member or friend from the photos.  But the move has sparked controversy.

Dr Steve Cina
 

The photos of decaying corpses have been called too graphic, disturbing, and insensitive. But the Cook County Medical Examiner, Dr Steve Cina, feels that it’s worth the discomfort if the photos help a family find a loved one.



An unidentified person (UP) is a person who has died and his/her body has not been identified. Once normal channels have been exhausted in trying to gain identification, a coroner or medical examiner may post a photo and information on the UP site in hopes that it triggers someone's memory, or that someone recognizes the person and can identify them.

Information about those who have not been identified can be found on the Cook County Medical Examiner’s (CCME) website under “Unidentified Persons” http://www.cookcountygov.com/portal/server.pt/community/medical_examiner,_office_of/307/unidentified_persons/735.

 
A physical description of the person including sex, race, and the clothes they were wearing, along with descriptive body features such as height, birthmarks, tattoos, or dental information can be used. Photos on the site are updated biweekly. 




All of the photos are watermarked by the Medical Examiner’s office and include a disclaimer of the ”potentially graphic nature of the images.”


But, the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office is not the first to place photos of the deceased online in an attempt to discover their identities.  In fact, the CCME worked in conjunction with the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) http://www.namus.gov to create their page.

NamUs is a searchable database funded by the National Institute of Justice and managed by the UNT Health Science Center.  It was also created in an attempt to discover whom these unidentified persons are. 

Searches can be conducted by using demographics, case numbers, physical characteristics, or other specific information. New cases are added each day by medical examiners and coroners across the U.S.

Currently, NamUs has almost 10,000 unidentified persons in their database.  Fewer than 10% of the remains have been identified and those cases closed. Just over 90% of the cases remain open. Close to two million people have visited the site since it began in 2010.


Cook County Morgue
The Cook County Medical Examiner’s office currently has several unidentified persons, some still waiting to be identified after four years. The office also has close to 50 bodies that are identified but unclaimed.



An unclaimed person (UCP) is someone whose body has been identified but no next of kin have been found, or if the family has been located, they cannot afford to pay for a funeral, or they do not want to accept responsibility for the body. In 2011, Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office began donating unclaimed remains to the Anatomical Gift Association (AGA) within two weeks after arrival there. 


Once the body is picked up, the AGA is then required to wait 21 days before embalming it and another 60 days for next of kin to be located or come forward.  If, after that time, no one has claimed the body the AGA may use the body for medical research and subsequent cremation.


The Doe Network http://www.doenetwork.org is an organization ran by volunteers that includes searchable websites for unidentified and missing persons from around the U.S.  The organization has been active for 12 years and has been recognized by the Department of Justice.

Fifteen sites are listed that deal with unidentified remains, unexplained disappearances, and missing persons. Unidentified remains may be from the US, Canada, Europe, Australia, or other countries. The network deals with hot and cold cases.

Besides Illinois, other states listed on the Doe Network are Kentucky, Iowa, New York, New Jersey, Texas, Nevada, Florida, South Carolina, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts and Tennessee. Almost four million visitors have visited the site since it began in 2001.


Although the photos may be considered disturbing, they do serve a very real purpose.  There is an estimated 40,000 remains currently unidentified in the U.S.  Sites such as these could help countless families and friends find out what happened to someone dear.

It is often said “You can judge a society by how it treats its dead.”  It is time we allow those who have remained nameless to be identified and bring some sense of closure to those lives. 
And the internet may be the most effective way for us to do this...

~ Joy