As an “extension” of our church “community” Catholic Cemeteries and Mortuaries strives to acquaint all in our diocese with the purpose of our mission and our ministry towards the Corporal Work of mercy, “to care for the dead”. As a Not for Profit organization, our primary focus is service.  Our service can reach out to Catholic families before a crisis or through a face to face information exchange that outlines the process involved with pre-planning and paying for services through one of our six catholic cemeteries or Queen of Heaven Mortuary.  This educational exchange will highlight the traditional and spiritual advantages of burial or funeral arrangements administered by a church owned cemetery or funeral home.

In addition to the spiritual benefits of establishing your cemetery and funeral arrangements through Diocese of Phoenix Catholic Cemeteries and Mortuaries there are numerous financial advantages including:

• Affordable monthly payment plans
• Interest free payments on many advanced planning programs
• Profits cycle back to help expand future church owned locations, not corporate or for profit entities
• Pricing that is lower than most  other providers

As a Not for Profit Organization, when payment for service occurs, you can be assured our pricing is more favorable than most other providers.  This favorable pricing philosophy is a core element of our mission of evangelization. No other cemetery provider will be able to offer burial in ground identical to that of the church with the affordability of a Not for Profit Ministry where the souls of our faithful departed are prayed for daily in accordance with the teachings of our church.

Christian Care for the Dead

The bodies of the dead must be treated with respect and charity, in faith and hope of the Resurrection. The burial of the dead is a corporal work of mercy; it honors the children of God, who are temples of the Holy Spirit. (Catechism of the Catholic Church – 2300)

The Church, who, as Mother, has borne the Christian sacramentally in her womb during his earthly pilgrimage, accompanies him at his journey’s end, in order to surrender him “into the Father’s hands.”  She offers to the Father, in Christ, the child of his grace, and she commits to the earth, in hope, the seed of the body that will rise in glory.  This offering is fully celebrated in the Eucharistic sacrifice; the blessings before and after Mass are sacramentals. (Catechism of the Catholic Church - 1683)

Two Places that are Sacred in Church Teachings

When we are baptized, we are brought to a sacred place, a Catholic church, and baptized into the mystery of Christ's death and resurrection - thus giving us the promise of eternal life. When one of our loved ones die, we take them to another sacred place, a Catholic cemetery, for burial in sacred ground while they await the resurrection of the dead and the promise of eternal life.

Since death is a natural part of life, it is only fitting that the Catholic Church be present at the time of death. In the Preface of the Funeral Mass the words '...for your faithful people O Lord, life has changed not ended' are prayed. Death as seen through the eyes of a Christian is not the end, it is simply a natural passageway to a changed life with God. Burial in a Catholic cemetery is a statement of continued belief in that everlasting life, even in death.

Cemeteries hold the earthly remains of our family members and friends who have shared their love, fellowship and faith with us. Although a grave in a cemetery evokes sadness, a grave in a Catholic cemetery is also a sign of hope in God and His promise of everlasting life.

In a complex and busy world, the desire to do things well, spiritually as well as sensibly, is often complicated by practical matters like time, money and knowledge. Nothing ever seems quite as easy to do as it first appears. This is as true of planning a family burial place as it is of anything else. It is probably made more complex by the fact that many people only do it once in a lifetime