Welcome to the burial ministry page of Christ the Savior Holy Spirit Orthodox Church!  We are here to serve you.  Our goal is to support families of our parish when one of their beloved members falls asleep in the Lord, and to honor Orthodox traditions.

 

At present, the primary focus of this ministry is the provision of Orthodox-style burial receptacles. The featured caskets (below) are available for purchase from the church.  They are constructed of pine wood, plywood bottoms, miscellaneous second woods for the crosses, plus screws & glue.  The lid is one piece, and is entirely removable (no hinges).  This is because during Orthodox funerals the entire body length of the departed is typically shown.  (The lid is displayed upright near the iconostasis screen - somewhere up front behind the open casket.)  The interior dimensions of these caskets are 6 ft 6 inches tall (78 inches long) by 23 inches wide (at chest) by 14 inches deep (or high).  The exterior dimensions will easily fit inside a standard concrete burial vault (interior dimensions 86"x30"x26").  The available unfinished casket has a redwood cross, and no script or emblems.  The darker one has a walnut stain and a water-based urethane finish.  It has an Orthodox Cross on the lid, plus a Victory Cross at its foot, and the Trisagion prayer along each flank. 

 

These caskets are offered at-cost to members of CTSHSOC, and the purchase funds will be used to order replacement of the ones used. Interested families should contact one of the ministry members below, through the church directory.  After consultation with a bereaved family, the member will arrange to meet staff from their engaged funeral home at the church for pickup of their chosen casket.  At the funeral home (unless it is not wanted) the casket will be lined with white fabric and bedding placed in the bottom, in preparation to receive the deceased.  [Families who wish to make use of an Orthodox casket for their departed, but who are not in a financial position to afford the listed costs, are advised to contact our parish priest about possible options.]  

 

Traditionally, Orthodox deceased are clothed in white garments.  These are typically simple, not elaborate - for example plain white shirt, trousers and socks for men.  Although completely optional, Orthodox shrouds and chaplets (headbands) are available (pictured) to cover the deceased.  The shroud's dimension is 28.5 by 68 inches. (The extra width is in order to tuck these in along the sides of the deceased.)  Alternately, plain white fabric could serve as a shroud, and the chaplet omitted. Even more customary is the placement of an icon inside the casket, beside or upon the deceased, with removal before interment.  Families are encouraged to discuss their desires and allowable choices when making specific funeral arrangements with our parish priest, seeking his counsel.  The burial ministry is here not to set norms or form tastes, but to make traditional options readily available to those who want them.

Additional focuses of the burial ministry may evolve with time and with input and participation by the parish.  For instance, occasionally an Orthodox Christian may wish to eschew the conventional services of a funeral home.  This would present some unique (to modern folk) challenges in the preparation of the body of the deceased and in its handling - from house (or hospice/hospital), to the church, and then to cemetery.  Although this ministry so far lacks protocols or specific plans pertinent to this scenario, such households are nonetheless encouraged to reach out to the committee for contacts, ideas, and support.  Likewise, regardless of arrangements, many big families might not be able to accommodate large numbers of out-of-town guests arriving for services.  These too are encouraged to contact the committee if help is needed.  (And further, by extension, parishioners who might periodically possess spare housing - guest houses, Airbnbs, rentals - should consider contacting us in order to assemble such a tentative list ahead of time.)  Last but hardly least, informal counseling may eventually be incorporated into ministry resources, particularly for sudden or unexpected death, or for anyone experiencing difficulty in their coping/grieving process.  The committee intends that discretion, respect of privacy, and love will always guide the ministry's actions.  

In Christ, 

 

Shannon Grubb, Steve Mayhugh, Mickey Callender, Jeffrey Robinson