I talked with Father Al from the Newman Catholic Church center earlier this week. Father Al has been at the Newman center for over 25 years and he has conducted a number of funerals throughout his career. Typically after a person passes away, the family calls the church and set up arrangements. Within the last couple of years, the trends has been going towards cremation rather than burial because of its high cost. He thinks that it would be much better if the deceased had left behind some preferences in terms of scripture or ceremony so that the family can make the appropriate arrangements. As for the conversation support, Father AL believes that it is best for people to talk in person (or through telephone if the earlier was not possible) to discuss this touchy topic. Internet resources would be a nice way to learn about the important issues in order to start the conversation but email should not be channel to initiate this process.
Legacy 