Cremation and the Church’s position on Christian burial
As we live in the world, we very often become “of the world.” That is, we give in to prevailing practices. One of these is cremation. More and more people opt to dispose of our dead by cremating them. The Church, however, follows the practices which we inherited from Judaism: we bury our dead, we don’t burn them. So much so that a funeral cannot be held for people who are going to be cremated. People often cite cost as a factor. It is true that burial costs, both in-ground burials and entombments, have escalated in recent years. Yet, Greek Orthodox Memorial Park, for example, has a place for the burial of poor people. It behooves us to learn more about why we bury our dead, rather than cremate them. For this, we would like to refer you to read a useful summary, utilizing the following link: http://www.stgeorgegoc.org/pastors-corner/cremation.
Bishop Meletios Library
As is well-known, prior to becoming Bishop of the then third Archdiocesan District, now the Metropolis of San Francisco, Bishop Meletios Tripodakis served as Dean of the Annunciation Cathedral, from 1955 to 1961. Upon his death, his books were gifted to a number of individuals. Some of these, including Μηναία (Monthly Orthros Service Books) and the Θρυσκευτική και Ηθική Εγκυκλοπαίδια (Religious and Ethical Encyclopedia), have been returned to the Cathedral, where they are now housed in the second-floor conference room. Written in Greek, the books are a treasury of knowledge, and an important part of the history of the Cathedral parish. Parishioners are invited to peruse them.
Thanking You
As we enter into the last part of 2018, we would like to take the opportunity to thank you, our parishioners and friends, for your ongoing support, both for the general operations of the Cathedral, through stewardship, and the rebuilding of the Cathedral, through the Capital Campaign. We would like to do so by printing, in the October or November issue of the Herald, an honor roll of stewards and an honor roll of donors to the Building Fund. Just wanted you to know how important you are to our church family. How your support goes a long way. First, it demonstrates your faith and your faithful response to what Jesus said (Acts 20:35), “it is more blessed to give than to receive.” Second, it underscores that we are a family, all members of the Body of Christ. What each one of us does, therefore, enriches the whole body.