Sister Death and the Care of All Creation: A Franciscan Argument for Green Burial

Abstract

Since Jessica Mitford’s 1963 scathing critique of the mortuary business in the United States, there has been an ongoing debate about how best to honor and dispose of the dead in ways that do not exploit people. However, the backlash to predatory mortuary practices led to an impersonal and detached process culminating in online purchasing of post-mortem services. More recently, this discussion has expanded to consider the resulting psychological and spiritual detachment around end-of-life, and a return to natural, simple, and fully engaged burial practices, known as “Green Burial”, are being reintroduced and practiced. While many Catholic cemeteries still call the use of embalming and concrete vaults “traditional burial”, these expensive and unnecessary practices are only 150 years old and have significantly affected the natural environment. A different “traditional burial” is possible when using the model of Francis of Assisi himself who offers a more intimate model of dying and death by embracing his own death and calling it, “Sister Death”. This article will use the interdisciplinary approach of Christian Spirituality to explore the Franciscan concern with creation and link it to the burgeoning practice of Green Burial. A discussion of a Franciscan congregation that initiated the practice for their own sisters, the FSPA in La Cross, Wisconsin, will offer a concrete example of rationale, best practices, and challenges for those considering this as a personal option or as a community endeavor.