The Narthex
Begrudging the Deceased a Final Resting Place
Most people don’t want to admit they have burned their relative because burial costs more
By John M. Grondelski | January 7th 2026 12:20 PMThe title of a recent New York Times op-ed (“The Trouble with My Father’s Resting Place,” Jan. 2) caught my eye because it seemed, for once, that maybe somebody else had recognized the point I’ve long made: cremation deprives people of a final resting place. (Ultimately, that recognition didn't happen.) The…
READ FULL BLOG POSTThe 'Tomb Experience' Matters
The practice of cremation clashes with many elements of Christian tradition
By John M. Grondelski | March 18th 2024 2:04 PMI’ve regularly criticized the contemporary Church’s generous toleration of cremation. I’ve voiced many reasons why this indulgence of cremation is wrongheaded, but one reason that I think gets too little attention is the symbolic confusion that cremation generates. Man is a symbolic creature, one who is prone to see, recognize,…
READ FULL BLOG POSTContraception & Cremation
Both require we grapple with the reality of embodiment
By John M. Grondelski | December 18th 2023 2:50 PMRegular readers know I am a harsh critic of cremation and of the Church’s misconceived 1963 decision to tolerate it. I have repeatedly argued that that 1963 rescission of the prohibition on cremation allowed the camel to poke its nose under the tent, upending the latter. The most cursory survey…
READ FULL BLOG POSTThis Hallowed Soil
Which is more valuable: the soil that became man or the soil into which he is blended?
By John M. Grondelski | November 1st 2023 1:09 PMThen the LORD God formed the man out of the dust of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being (Genesis 2:7).
One hundred and sixty years ago this November 19, Abraham Lincoln spoke at Gettysburg about hallowed… READ FULL BLOG POST