Funerals and the Internment of Ashes

An Introduction

Inevitably we have our quota of funerals within the resident community and, sadly, sometimes from amongst visitors on holiday.

The funeral service is arranged with respect for the person who has died, but also trying to address the needs of those who are left.

The Christian hope is expressed in a way which is intended to give people something to reflect on, but by no means giving easy answers.

Please contact our Chaplain David Waller for further details. In an emergency, please contact him on (00 34) 600 400 600.

Garden of Remembrance

A quiet area beside the Anglican Church in Palma is set aside for the interment of cremated remains and memorials.

The Church Council is happy to consider requests from families wishing to avail themselves of this facility. There are some restrictions on materials, size and wording.

The Chaplain can talk about these with families thinking of having the remains of loved ones interred in the Garden of Remembrance, and give advice on wording, types of stone, and local stonemasons.

To decide what might be appropriate, it is a good idea to take a walk around the Garden. Look at the style of the church, the kind of stone used and the setting. Over time memorials change their appearance slightly and they blend in with the environment.

Flowers

Unfortunately there is not space for vases or receptacles for flowers. The people who lovingly tender the garden week by week are always happy to accept donations for plants which can be placed near your loved ones memorial. We do ask families not to use artificial flowers

A Fitting Memorial

The Church Council does its best to make sure the Garden of Remembrance is a worthy place for people to remember the lives of those who have died and to give thanks to God for them, and we hope that you will find our garden a peaceful place for reflection and a fitting memorial to your loved ones. We are quite happy to arrange the making of the niche for the ashes urn and the fitting of memorial plaques. The fees for the builders’ installation costs and the fee for the Garden of Remembrance are displayed below and on the notice board inside church.

If there is anything else you need to ask please feel free to contact the Church office.

The Garden of Remembrance is usually open from 9.30 – 12 Monday – Friday.

You may be thinking of seeking permission to have a loved one’s ashes buried in our Garden of Remembrance, or perhaps have a memorial plaque to a loved one. If so the following notes might be helpful.

Internment

When someone dies that we care deeply about, we naturally want to remember them in a way which is appropriate and dignified. Often this means erecting a memorial, perhaps together with the interment of their cremated remains in the Garden of Remembrance. The following guidelines might be helpful if this is an option that you are considering.

The Garden of Remembrance is owned, regulated and maintained by The Anglican Church. This means that the people who worship at the church have to make sure that the garden is well maintained and find the money to do so. It’s all part of ensuring that due respect is paid to the memorials and the memory of those whose cremated remains are buried there.

Caring for the garden

In the past it was presumed that relatives would tend and care for their family memorials. What this usually meant was that the more recent stones would be well maintained but over time families would move away or die out and maintenance would cease.

Today most people expect the Garden of Remembrance to be kept tidy. This means that the Church Council has to ensure that someone looks after the Garden of Remembrance so that it does not become unkempt, plants are renewed and general maintenance and gardening carried out. It may seem disappointing to be told that a particular kind of memorial is not allowed, but we have to be fair to everyone, which is why there have to be some restrictions on what can be done.

A Stone Memorial

Due to the pressure of space, memorials are now limited to a size of 30 cms by 30 cms. We ask that a local stone is used and that the work is professionally carried out by Mallorquina de Marbres, whose address and location we can advise you of. We ask that the positioning and kind of stone used together with appropriate wording are approved and usually the Chaplain can do this on behalf of the Church Council.

Please do not order a stone until approval has been sought to avoid any misunderstanding. The reason for restrictions is to avoid having some stones that do not blend with the appearance of the church and Garden of Remembrance. Stones that look very attractive in a stonemason’s yard can sometimes be totally inappropriate in a different location.

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