Cemetery: A blessed Place

Sir,
To a Catholic, a cemetery is a blessed place. Next to the church, no spot on earth should be so sacred and dear to a Parish. Ever since the Sacred Body of the Crucified Savior was reverently laid in a tomb, there to await the hour of its glorious resurrection, the Church has been most solicitous to cast about the burial of those who rise with Christ an atmosphere of deep Christian faith and profound reverence. In the cemetery are buried the mortal remains of the faithful departed, consecrated as temples of the Holy Ghost with the holy oils of the Sacraments. The cemetery speaks to a Christian of faith and hope in the resurrection of the body. Sensing the deep meaning of burial grounds, the faithful have called their cemetery significantly, "God's Acre." From his sacred soil shall come forth unto life eternal the bodies of the faithful who have departed this life in the Lord. Every Parish and Mission should be proud to possess a cemetery.
If a parish has its own cemetery, the faithful departed are to be buried in it unless another cemetery has been legitimately chosen either by the departed person or by those who are responsible to arrange for his or her interment. Catholics, first by law and then by tradition, have chosen to be buried in Catholic cemeteries, and this preference should continue. In this way, Catholics have the assurance that reverence and respect will be given to the remains of the deceased. Also, the Catholic cemetery, in reflecting the doctrines and liturgy of Catholic belief, maintains now in death the community of faith that was shared in life. Furthermore, the Catholic cemetery is a place of devotion and prayer for the souls of the departed. A visit to a cemetery stirs salutary thoughts of our own mortality, our debt to those who have gone before, the shortness of life, and the fullness of eternity.
However, in Alappuzha District of Kerala, at Kanjikuzhy village, the faithful of the Vanaswargom St Jude Church was denied their submission for a cemetery. Initially the District Collector was in favour of allowing one but due to interference from one local person who is interested in Abkari business, the Collector set aside the application stating that there were only eight families and pose health hazards to people living adjacent. Actually there are about 100 families belonging to church spread over fifty square km and these families face much hardships at the demise of their dear ones. One wonders how a cemented vault model cemetery could harm to local people. The reason for turning a deaf year to the genuine demand of the Vanaswargom parishners seems prying. So, in this connection I request the Hon’ble Minister to look into the matter and issue favourable orders. The demand for a cemetery by the Vanswargom St Jude Church is long over due.
K A Solaman