On sacred ground

Diocese’s second columbarium installed at Resurrection Parish in Waipio, Oahu

By Jennifer Rector
Hawaii Catholic Herald

Parishioners at Resurrection of the Lord Church in Waipio now have the option of making the parish their forever home. Literally. The parish has installed a columbarium, a wall of permanent niches for the urns of their dead, becoming the second Hawaii Catholic church to do so.

The first columbarium in the diocese was a 60-niche polished granite structure installed last year on an exterior church wall of St. Ann in Kaneohe. Expect more. Our Lady of Good Counsel in Pearl City, St. Anthony in Wailuku, Maui, and St. John Apostle and Evangelist in Mililani are all in various stages of procuring a final resting place for the ashes of their loved ones.

It’s all a part of Bishop Larry Silva’s plan, said Duane Pavao, Director of Cemeteries for the Diocese of Hawaii.

“The bishop had a vision that he really wanted to provide sacred locations for Catholics to be able to have their cremated remains kept,” said Pavao.

Father Peter Miti, pastor of Resurrection of the Lord Parish, said that having one’s remains resting on sacred grounds is a long-held Catholic tradition expressed by the church cemetery. The columbarium not only pays respect to the dead, it also creates a peaceful place where family and friends are able to visit their deceased loved ones.

“Surviving loved ones who regularly attend a church have the ability to frequently visit the memorial of those who have passed on. These joy-filled spaces exude peace and can be a place for prayer and meditation,” said Father Miti.

Cremation is a choice that some Catholics may not be aware they have. But there are guidelines.

According to the Order of Christian Funerals, “the cremated remains of a body should be treated with the same respect given to the human body from which they come. This includes the use of a worthy vessel to contain the ashes, the manner in which they are carried, and the care and attention to appropriate placement and transport, and the final disposition.”

The instructions go on to say that the cremated remains should not be scattered anywhere or placed in a private home. They need to be in a sacred site.

Pavao said a columbarium at a church is a great way to create such a location.

“For so many years, there really haven’t been sacred locations obtainable. So, the whole point of the project is to provide sacred locations on sacred ground as defined by the Catholic Church,” said Pavao.

Beginning to end

The process of procuring a columbarium for a parish varies. It starts with presentations to parishioners, parish council meetings, the discussion of design options, and more.

“If we have a parish that’s interested, we will survey their parishioners to get an idea of whether or not the project would be popular or something that is going to be funded by the parish,” said Pavao.

How much a single niche costs depends on what the parish wants in terms of design. There’s the choice of granite or glass niche faces, the number of niches, its location on the wall, and the option of flower vases or statues to consider.

Designing the columbarium is the lengthiest part of the process. After that it’s smooth sailing. The pieces for the structure are then shipped from the mainland.

“People think they’re going to see construction, but it’s built in California,” Pavao explained. “Then they ship it here like a puzzle, and we install it on location. Usually, it takes a day or two to get it installed. This process is really fast.”

For Resurrection of the Lord, it took about four years from start to finish. There were some setbacks due to other projects that the church wanted to accomplish.

The first was to build a two-story building for religious education, which included a kitchen, a hall, and offices. The second was to renovate the inside of the church to add more space for parishioners. The third was the columbarium.

On July 10, the columbarium was installed on the parish grounds. It took about four days. On July 28, Father Miti and Deacon Jose Ancheta commemorated and blessed the columbarium.

As parishioners walk into church for Mass on Sundays, they are able to see the beauty of the columbarium. It’s fashioned of dark granite, complementing  a statue of Our Lady standing to one side. As you look closer, you can see some niches marked with a tiny flower indicating that they have been reserved. There’s a bench for visitors to rest and remember their loved ones. It’s an inviting place for prayer.

The shiny structure stands to the right of the church with 90 niches. 27 of which are already taken. Each niche can hold two ordinary-sized urns.

This is just phase one. Phase two will add 70 more niches for a total of 160 niches.

And Father Miti said they are open to adding more.

“In terms of expansion, if demand for niches continues after all niches are filled in phase one and two, in the future our parish will consult with our parishioners if they would like to proceed with further expansion of the columbarium within church grounds,” he said.

For now, the columbarium is only available to parishioners of Resurrection of the Lord, but that could change in the future.

“We are giving leeway to our parishioners to have a good opportunity to be interred here. Later on, there is every possibility that we could open it up to other parishes,” said Father Miti.

Final resting place

The idea of building a columbarium at Resurrection of the Lord was a popular one. Many of the older parishioners delighted in the idea of making their parish their final resting place, said Roeana Alexander, a parishioner who has been working closely on this project.

“The response has been favorable,” she said. “Long-term parishioners have been the ones to first take advantage of acquiring their resting place at Resurrection of the Lord.”

Though planning your death may sound morbid to some, it’s a reality that Father Miti said no one can escape.

“At an appointed time, death will come to us. It is part and parcel of our lives and for us believers, it is a passageway to the next life where we hope to be with the Lord eternally. It is no wonder we believe in the communion of life with the saints, our brothers and sisters who have gone before us marked with the sign of faith,” said Father Miti.

For those interested in building a columbarium at your parish, you can visit hawaiicatholiccemeteries.org.