The monks of St. Joseph Abbey received good news in their battle to sell caskets when a Federal appeals court affirmed a lower court’s decision that struck down a Louisiana law that would have required the monks to either open a licensed funeral home or get a funeral director’s license. The District Court held that the
Churches/Ritual
Cooperation with Clergy
By Bill Stalter on
The Saturday edition of the Kansas City Star includes a section titled “Faith” that is devoted to the issues of religion. A few weeks ago, Star reporter Helen Gray wrote two different Faith articles regarding local funeral trends: cremation and one funeral operation’s focus on working closer with churches.
The cremation article offered the…
Dark Clouds and Unfavorable Secular Trends
By Bill Stalter on
A few months ago, a stock analyst issued a critique warning against investment in the industry’s public companies. A few weeks later, the critique got a second wind when chat pages and social media forums picked up on the critique’s conclusion, and circulated the article as proof that certain trends will ‘haunt’ all funeral homes…
The Archdiocese of Louisville Lawsuit: attorney error
By Bill Stalter on
Posted in Churches/Ritual, Funeral
Trust a lawyer to add to the tension between clergy and the funeral director.
A Kentucky priest felt the need to re-establish the ground rules for funerals conducted in his parish, and a local funeral director took offense. Claiming the rules were "an intentional and wrongful interference" with his business, the funeral director brought suit against the Archdiocese of Louisville.
The lawsuit has the…
Easter and the Funeral Ritual: helping families get past Saturday
By Bill Stalter on
Posted in Churches/Ritual, Cremation
The Easter sermon is traditionally defined by Good Friday, and the hope and promise offered by Christ’s resurrection. However, clergy seldom seem to focus their lectures on Easter Saturday and the despair of Mary and Jesus’ followers. In a sense, the same is true for many clergy who officiate at a funeral. Who hasn’t attended…
The Fork in the Road: personalization vs religious rituals
By Bill Stalter on
Two recent newspaper articles help to underscore the distinct directions the funeral ritual seems headed.
The Kansas City Star reported on how more families are opting for personalization over formal funeral rituals. As the article indicates, personalization often requires the funeral director to spend more time with the family planning a memorial that is…
The Evolution of the Christian Burial: Church Columbariums
By Bill Stalter on
Posted in Churches/Ritual, Cremation
Cremation is having a profound impact on funeral homes, cemeteries and churches alike. While Christian denominations prefer to reinforce the role the body plays in funeral liturgy, cremation offers churches the opportunity to establish a bond with parishioners that cemeteries once provided. It is becoming fairly commonplace to read about churches, like the First Evangelical…
Iowa Personal Preference Legislation – Whose Funeral is it?
By Bill Stalter on
The Iowa had not one, but two personal preference bills pending before its Legislature for the 2007/08 term: SF 473 and HF 2088. The Senate version, SF 473, was backed by Iowa’s attorneys, and the House version, HF 2088, was backed by the Iowa Funeral Directors Association.
What caught my attention about these bills…