A HALLOWED

A HALLOWED RESTING PLACE

by David Flick

The Memorial Garden, the quiet oasis at the literal center of Transfiguration, has undergone a recent renovation that incudes an expansion of the parish’s columbarium.

The columbarium, where the cremated remains of people associated with the parish are placed, is part of a relatively recent trend in churches that reflects a centuries-old tradition.

Knowing that the remains of a parishioner’s loved ones are interred on the grounds of the church imparts a feeling “of being where you feel comfortable, interred near others of the church, like an extended family,” said Paul Sternweis, chairman of the columbarium committee. “You’re associated with a place where you had a relationship with God.”

For centuries, faithful parishioners were buried on church grounds, within the sound of daily worship. The process disappeared as urban life made burial in churchyards less feasible.

The increased use of cremation in recent decades has led to the creation of columbaria, which require far less space than ground burial, and allow the return of the mortal remains of a parishioner to the churchyard.

Transfiguration’s columbarium was installed in 1996. Its origins began when Fr. Terry Roper was rector.

“It started out as an empathetic response to a situation in which a parishioner’s husband had died and was cremated, but the cost was more than she could handle,” he said.

She came to parish officials, but at the time they had no way to help her. Parish officials discussed the matter.

“We said, ‘there must be something we can do’,” Fr. Roper said.

Other parishes in the area had founded columbaria, and Transfiguration officials toured several.

Among the officials involved was George Bienfang who was then on the vestry.

“I can’t say I began with much enthusiasm,” he said. “We built the thing, but we wondered how much interest there would be.”

They needn’t have worried.

Spaces in the first unit, which had about 108 niches, went quickly.

“People were astonished at how popular it was,” Fr. Roper said.

A second unit was built and, as part of the upgrade of the Memorial Garden, a third unit has been added — bringing the total number of niches to 324. Each niche has room for two urns.

The Memorial Garden also includes a landscaped area where ashes can be scattered in lieu of placement in a niche.

Interment in the columbarium is available to any past or present church member and their immediate family. Applications are reviewed by a church committee and sent to the rector for approval.

For more information, questions may be directed to columbarium@transfiguration.net. 15