Catholic Funeral Services

There can be nothing more painful than losing a loved one. In these difficult times, the surviving family members have to make certain decisions regarding the funeral services and goods to be purchased. Nevertheless, they are not in a position to make some reasonable decisions falling into the hidden traps of the funeral services and cemeteries. Therefore, it is imperative to know about these traps and the ways to avoid them.

The first of these is the purchase of funeral packages, which can be highly expensive if the “full service” package is taken. Although it prevents the stressed out family members from taking any difficult decisions, yet the package can be costly. Anyhow, if choosing a package, one can exclude certain services to reduce costs and as per the federal rules, the funeral services cannot refuse such persons from getting the services.

Purchase of caskets is another hidden trap of certain funeral services and cemeteries. Caskets can be extremely expensive and the stressed family members of the deceased find themselves choosing one of the expensive caskets. However, as a sane and knowledgeable consumer, one should insist for the low priced caskets or get one made from a low-priced casket maker. Looking for such caskets online is another viable option.

Embalming or purchasing grave liners and vaults are other traps of certain funeral services. Cashing on the sentiments of the surviving members, the funeral services offer ways to preserve the body, which does not actually work. Therefore, if one is vigilant even during the depressing time of one’s beloved, they can save a lot of money. Another way to avoid such traps is to opt for such a funeral service or cemetery that is free of such traps and provide the best of services so that the departed soul rests in peace.

Sutherland Cemetery is one such place that offers specialised funeral services personalised to meet the requirements of a family. The dedicated and professional staff at the Sutherland Cemetery take great care to ensure that all arrangements are well taken care of. They assist in all aspects of funeral service right from choosing a casket to the funeral flowers, local accommodation and transportation.

The Sutherland Cemetery envisions that each soul needs a respectful burial and with this principal, they offer the most dignified and personalised funeral services.

All services are affordable and the packages are designed to fit into everyone’s budget. Therefore, instead of going broke at the time when one has already lost his/her beloved, it is better to preplan and make suitable arrangements.

Why Choose Mary Mackillop?

Mary Mackillop Place renowned as a cultural, spiritual and hospitality center is a unique place in Australia. It houses the Mary Mackillop Memorial Chapel, which has the tomb of Australia’s first saint Blessed Mary Mackillop. Depicting and celebrating the life, spirituality and work of Mary Mackillop is a museum situated in the premises of the Mary Mackillop Place. The Place also provides facilities for accommodation, venues for conferences and retreats, and facilities for education.

Connecting to the supreme power and asking for his blessings is what one continually does. However, there are certain places, which offer one the aura and the atmosphere to do so. The Mary Mackillop Memorial is just that. For those looking for a spirituality center, which pr1ovides an ambience for prayer and spirituality, it is the Memorial. Each year thousands of pilgrims visit the Place to pray for healing through Mary’s intercession.

The Mary Mackillop Memorial is not just a place, but a hospitality center where one would find listening ears in the form of the Pastoral Care Team, who support the thousands of pilgrims and offer prayers for the requests that come from far and wide. The faith community that gathers in the Chapel remembers all those that have requested for prayers through Mary’s mediation. This is a center, which provides the opportunity to pilgrims that come in groups, organisations, and schools to learn and know the work of Mary Mackillop, who insisted on helping those who need help.

Mary Mackillop Memorial offers hospitality and cultural services inspired by the work and whole heartedness of Mary Mackillop. The environment at the center is that of hope, peace and love for God. With this vision in mind, the Memorial promotes the life and work of Mary Mackillop and offers a center of pilgrimage, where one learns about the spiritual dimensions of life.

The services offered by the Mary Mackillop Memorial includes

Hospitality: where there is openness and each of the visitors is provided time and resources
Education: there are various education opportunities provided by the Memorial
Faith expression: as the Pastoral Team is engaged in rituals, prayers and worship
Compassion: care for those ”little ones”, whom Mary Mackillop loved the most
Justice: treat each one as the same especially the voiceless and those excluded from the mainstream society
Cultural togetherness: as each one can come and share his thoughts, deepen relationships, gather to connect and celebrate the important moments of life.

Funeral Services in Sydney

Losing a loved one can be a horrible experience to have to go through, but unfortunately, it is something that we all have to go through at some point in life. When a loved one dies, it is understandable that you will want to do everything that you can in order to make sure that your loved one gets the dignified send-off that they deserve. If you are looking for funeral services in Sydney then one place that you might want to get into contact with is Catholic Cemeteries Board. They offer a variety of different services in order to allow you to get the perfect service.

There are a lot of places that offer funeral services in Sydney, but this is one of the best. They allow you to take control of the entire service in order to get things exactly how you want them. As mentioned above, they offer a lot of different services. The first thing that you might want to consider when looking for funeral services in Sydney is a burial service. They offer a variety of different above ground burial options that you can look into.

If you do not want an above ground burial for your loved one then there are two other options that you can look into. First of all, you could perhaps consider an in ground burial. Many people prefer this to an above ground burial or a cremation.

This brings us to the other option that you could perhaps think about which is a cremation service. Whatever it is that you are looking for when it comes to funeral services in Sydney, Catholic Cemeteries Board will do everything that they can to ensure that you get the service that you want.

They know how difficult it can be to lose a loved one, which is why they strive to make the process that little bit easier when it comes to planning a funeral service. The funeral can be the most difficult part, and by using somewhere like Catholic Cemeteries Board you are able to make sure that your loved one gets the dignified and respectful service that they deserve.

Take a look at their website today and see how they can help you.

Redeveloping Catholic Cemeteries Rookwood for the future

Despite the fierce weather on Tuesday night, over 65 members of the Sydney funeral industry gathered to celebrate the launch of Catholic Cemeteries & Crematoria Rookwood new area Way of the Cross Memorial Gardens.

The Way of the Cross Memorial Gardens is a contemporary new memorial space at Rookwood, surrounded by gardens and a flowing waterway; it features a large elevated Pavilion with an altar, a unique place to create a modern spiritual funeral service.

As a niche garden, there will be memorials for cremated remains nestled naturally around the waterway, making it a beautiful place not only to hold a funeral service but also for families to visit in the future.

Peter O’Meara, CEO of Catholic Cemeteries & Crematoria, says that it is part of their mission to ensure that services are relevant for the Sydney community. “We are looking at innovative ways we can renew existing cemeteries such as Rookwood, and meet the expanding needs of the Greater Western Sydney area”.

With Sydney’s anticipated mortality rate to rise by 30%, cremations and memorials will increase. Catholic Cemeteries & Crematoria announced at the launch an exceptional value offering for families with a number of inclusive options that allow families to pre-purchase cremations and inter their loved ones.

“In the current economic climate, particularly with older people having lost significant amounts of superannuation, and living in tighter financial circumstances, it is important to us that we offer families affordable funeral options that are of a high quality. We have consulted with funeral directors and the feedback is that it offers good value.” A complete package of cremation, service, niche and memorial plaque is being offered at $1680.

The History of Sutherland Cemetery

The Catholic cemetery of Woronora is a beautiful and serene cemetery located in Sutherland, Sydney. The township of Sutherland borders the Woronora Cemetery to the west, and the Royal National Park to the south. Sutherland Brickworks was established on grounds of the present day Woronora Cemetery. Much of what is now Sutherland Shire was originally land grants purchased by Thomas Holt. Woronora, formerly the Brickworks, became a cemetery on April 2, 1895.

Until the 1950’s, cemeteries in Sutherland had headstones that often reflected the economic life of the deceased. In the 1950’s, lawn cemetery markers were introduced. Thereafter, Catholic cemeteries in Sydney were marked with plain bronze plaques. This introduction of markers has caused the loss of the societal indicators of the deceased, as well as the compelling epitaph contained in previous headstones.

The cemetery at Sutherland is the final resting place for very influential people in history. Brian Joseph Clay (1935-1987) is buried at Woronora Cemetery. Brian, affectionately known as ‘Poppa’, was an Australian rugby league footballer in the 1950s and 1960s. Poppa was a five-eighth with the St. George Dragons during their eleven year consecutive premiership winning run from 1956 to 1966. He was a representative in the Australian Nation Team in 1957. Brian ‘Poppa’ Clay is considered one of the nation’s finest footballers of the 20^th century. Brian Clay died aged 52 on September 2, 1987 after a battle with heart disease following an unsuccessful heart transplant.

The Catholic Cemetery at Sutherland is also the final resting place for Thomas Vincent Dunlea (1894-1970). Thomas Dunlea, a Catholic priest, was born in Ireland. He was ordained as a priest on June 20, 1920. As curator of inner city parishes, Dunlea became very close to people who had been hit hard by the Depression. When he was appointed parish priest of Sutherland in 1934, he compassionately brought food and prayers to those living in caves. At the Church, Dunlea collected homeless boys and moved into a large house. More and more homeless boys came, necessitating a move to the nearby park to live in tents. Publicity led to a gift of seven acres. Thus, became ‘Boys Town’ in August, 1940. Boys Town was made famous by a Hollywood movie. In 1942, having visited the United States, Thomas Dunlea resigned his parish and moved there in 1947. In 1970, he was buried at Woronora Catholic cemetery in Sydney.

These are just some of the influential, and famous people who are buried around this area. To express your interest in this area, visit www.catholiccemeteries.org.au .