Eco-burial solution: RiP, wrapped in a shroud

KOCHI: With the lack of burial space becoming a ‘grave’ concern, wall graves have come to the rescue of many churches in the city. However, these wall graves further reform the Christian tradition of burial as they do away with coffins and bodies are wrapped in cloth before they are laid to rest.In a first-of-its-kind initiative in the city, the St Mary’s Cathedral Basilica has refrained from using coffins for its common wall graves. Instead, the deceased are laid in a common  steel coffin that is provided by the church, during the funeral rites. Once the final prayers conclude, well-wishers are requested to disperse after paying their respects, and the body, after being completely wrapped in a white cotton cloth, is lifted into the wall vault. Ground graves and wall graves, owned by individual families, have been exempted from this new practice. St Mary’s Cathedral Basilica parish priest Fr Jose Puthiyedath said the pressing demand for burial space was the sole reason that forced the parish authorities to look for new alternatives. “The number of families in the parish has touched 1,500 which is almost double the number we had a few years ago. With graves being sold over the years, the church now owns only 50-60 common graves. Had we at least 200 common graves, we wouldn’t face shortage  of space,” he said.Fr Puthiyedath cites the slow pace of disintegration of coffins as the sole reason to curtail their use. “Wood coffins do not decompose quickly and a  vault is not reopened before two years’ elapse after the last burial. However, in cases of emergency, we may have to ready the wall grave for a new person. In such situations, we found that the remains of wood coffins posed a problem and hence the decision to wrap the body in a shroud, he said. Needless to say, this gesture is symbolic as Christ himself was wrapped in shroud before He was laid to rest in a tomb, he said. Contrary to his fears, the new arrangement was accepted by the parish members and three people were buried in this manner, he said.Coffin-makers view this move as a blow to their business but stand by its environmental benefits. “Coffins are an integral part of Christian funeral rites and they cannot be completely abandoned. We understand that wood does not decay fast enough and this initiative maybe environmentally sound. However, a better alternative is a standardisation of the materials used to build coffins,” says Jose, owner of Vakkachan Coffin Works, He elaborates that there are two kinds of buyers - those who demand a long-lasting coffin and those who buy one purely for its purpose. Jose opines that if all people were to be uniform in buying coffins made of less durable materials, then the issue of coffin remnants would not arise.