"Casket" tree pods

[picchick]

Hey everyone!  How's everything going?

I was just curious on people's thoughts on those pods that you can be buried in that will grow a tree.  I think that it is pretty cool.  I was wondering how it fits with Church teaching IF it was done respectfully and on consecrated ground.

 

Meg

[dUSt]

I feel like this conversation will have many branches.

[Credo in Deum]

Will it be a fruit bearing tree?

[truthfinder]

I think it would probably be fine in accord to church teachings (no immediate alarm bells are ringing) as long it was done in a way that didn't seem like earth-worship or the like.  I would caution, however, that there is a good possibility that the tree roots would start pushing bones to the surface over time.  

[CatherineM]

It sounds fine to me. I'm going to be cremated, and would love to be turned into one of those artificial reef balls, but that's not allowed. 

[dUSt]

I think it's about time to leave this conversation.

[Credo in Deum]

[Selah]

I think it's about time to leave this conversation.

​You're just too scared to get to the root of the matter.

[Not A Mallard]

I think it would probably be fine in accord to church teachings (no immediate alarm bells are ringing) as long it was done in a way that didn't seem like earth-worship or the like.  I would caution, however, that there is a good possibility that the tree roots would start pushing bones to the surface over time.  

​Either that, or our bodies will turn the trees into

[TheresaThoma]

I think it would be ok. Just as long as it is done respectfully with the right intentions (similar to the guidelines on cremation). Perhaps with a small plaque or other grave marker near the pod.

[Luigi]

The Trappists in Iowa make caskets, as do the Benedictines in Louisiana, Chicago, Nebraska, and Indiana - there might be others, too. Get some input from them, and let them turn it into an earth-friendly fund-raiser for their monasteries.

Iowa Trappists - http://www.trappistcaskets.com/product-category/caskets/

Louisiana Benedictines - http://saintjosephabbey.com/woodworks-caskets.php

Chicago Benedictines - http://chicagomonk.org/monastery-caskets/

 

[CrossCuT]

I totally want one.

[Ash Wednesday]

This image from their website ticks me off.

Because honoring the dead with crosses are just standard, you know. And consecrated ground isn't sacred, but ~forests are~

[Credo in Deum]

Earth worship.

[Ash Wednesday]

I suppose if you're a Catholic wanting a respectful burial it could POSSIBLY be done in principle -- something biodegradable that also has a tree -- and many monks and the like that build caskets have been joining the green burial movement. But the sentiment surrounding the promotion of this in particular really bothers me.

There is also the issue, as a Catholic wanting a Catholic funeral but not wanting cremation in order to be buried in such a pod, some provision would need to be made for the body during the funeral mass. Given that the deceased isn't opting for cremation, they normally put a white cloth and crucifix over the deceased's casket because they were baptized. You can't really do that with a pod so you would still probably want to use a simple casket for the funeral.

When my mom died we had a full funeral with a simple casket but she was cremated afterwards.

Maybe some monks can come up with a casket shaped alternative to the pod.

 

 

I'm a closet death hag, I'm afraid. I would have fit in well during the Victorian age.

[IgnatiusofLoyola]

I'm a closet death hag, I'm afraid. I would have fit in well during the Victorian age.

​As I understand it, some villages had groups of older women whose primary job was to attend funerals and wail. I think that would be a "not bad" way to spend my "declining years." It would give me a sense of purpose and it would mean that everyone, both the well-known and the anonymous, gets mourned.

[Ash Wednesday]

​As I understand it, some villages had groups of older women whose primary job was to attend funerals and wail. I think that would be a "not bad" way to spend my "declining years." It would give me a sense of purpose and it would mean that everyone, both the well-known and the anonymous, gets mourned.

They did, they had professional mourning services in those times. I would gladly attend funerals and pray for people even if I didn't know them.

I'm guessing that's what these ladies did.​

[Credo in Deum]

I personally do not like the pod idea.  It has too much of a "Mother Earth" vibe as if humans are here to sacrifice their bodies to the Almighty World as a sort of compost. Given also that we live in an age which is more and more atheistic and pagan, I think a traditional burial gives a better witness of the sacredness of our bodies and the coming resurrection we profess.  I think the more we promote ideas like pod caskets the more we reinforce this belief that people come second after what we deem the earth needs.  All of this fosters an outlook that our worth is determined by what we can or will provide to the world/planet. An outlook that already sponsors birth control and abortion. 

As I said, before the great phorum wipe, I would rather be buried in a Marian coffin and then have a tree be planted near my grave.  That is, IMO, a better solution since it gives dignity to our bodies and helps the world.  We should be remembered as stewards of this earth, not its compost.

Edited March 21, 2015 by Credo in Deum

[IgnatiusofLoyola]

I personally do not like the pod idea.  It has too much of a "Mother Earth" vibe as if humans are here to sacrifice their bodies to the Almighty World as a sort of compost. Given also that we live in an age which is more and more atheistic and pagan, I think a traditional burial gives a better witness of the sacredness of our bodies and the coming resurrection we profess.  I think the more we promote ideas like pod caskets the more we reinforce this belief that people come second after what we deem the earth needs.  All of this fosters an outlook that our worth is determined by what we can or will provide to the world/planet. An outlook that already sponsors birth control and abortion.

As I said, before the great phorum wipe, I would rather be buried in a Marian coffin and then have a tree be planted near my grave.  That is, IMO, a better solution since it gives dignity to our bodies and helps the world.  We should be remembered as stewards of this earth, not its compost.

​You make an interesting point that I'll have to think about. My current thought about my burial would be to be cremated, and buried under a Redwood tree. But then, I'm from Northern California, so being a bit of a "tree-hugger" may simply be in my DNA.

[truthfinder]

Completely aside from any theological or liturgical aspects, I do not think this has been well thought out.  I do wonder if, when planting these pods, they would actually grow if buried at a depth of six feet.  If they are buried much more shallowly, we'll run into the situation of the French in Louisbourg, who to the absolute disgust of the English, had bodies popping out of the ground all the time because they were buried at 1.5 feet.  The other concerns of the skeletons being incorporated into the tree and brought above ground is also possibility.  Unless society wants to get a whole lot closer to the dead, I have a feeling this won't become entirely popular.

 I believe in the past, there have been shared/rented caskets (even some with false bottoms for the dumping of the deceased into communal graves).  That is a possibility for those getting cremated while having their bodies at the funeral.  Although, I think the whole catafalque practice should be adopted wholesale in the OF as well to deal with the rise in cremations that haven't been done in accord to our practices.  (Many people have non-practicing families that don't know the rules at all).