Caring for the dead
Our Corporal Work of Mercy
The Church has always held up the sanctity of the person from the moment of conception to the grave and beyond as well as every moment in between. We understand the seriousness of this work of caring for the dead when it is lined up next to the other six corporal work of mercies: Feed the Hungry; Provide Drink to the Thirsty; House the Homeless; Clothe the Naked; Comfort the Sick; Visit the Imprisoned. When the last and final act of caring for a person is at their death, the Church is respecting the fullness of the person: body and soul.
We get this naturally as we look at all society throughout the millenniums. Two of the seven Ancient Wonders of the World are dedicated to burying the dead: the Great Pyramids and the Tomb of Mausolus at Halicarnassus. The Taj Mahal was named as one of the Modern Wonders of the World. These examples are just the beginning of a litany of examples of how sacred it is for us to honor the dead. There are eternal flames burning atop graves of presidents, Tombs to Unknown Soldiers, crypt in castles, and cathedrals around the world to remind us the dignity of the person in death as much as we dignify them in life.
It is from this social and sacred perspective that the Catholic Church continues this time honored tradition, to assure that all have a sacred place to rest in peace at death. New Cathedral Cemetery is a place that honors the dead as they are laid to rest in consecrated ground. This cemetery is one of the nearly fifty Catholic Cemeteries throughout the Archdiocese of Baltimore. We welcome you to visit this hallow and sacred ground where the commoner and statesman, the famous and the infamous, the remembered and the forgotten are equally laid to rest.
Rev. Patrick M. Carrion
Office of Cemeteries
320 Cathedral Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
410-752-8498 x1114