This document is now available as a publication produced by members of the Committee on the Future and the National Catholic Cemetery Conference. Being both a conference member and Committee on the Future member prompted me to advise our readers what Catholic cemetery directors across the country are doing. This publication provides a clear vision for the future of our cemeteries and helps to clarify our role as a Church ministry.

An excerpt reads: Catholic cemeteries exist because of our belief in the resurrection of the body, in some new shape or form, at the end of time. If there were no promise of resurrection and eternal life, there would be no need for Catholic cemeteries.
The Catholic cemetery, then, is sacred, not only because of a blessing or consecration, but also by the sacred function that it performs on behalf of the entire Christian community: It holds the bodies, once temples of the Holy Spirit, until the Lord comes again in glory. It is sacred because it is a place where prayer and liturgy are celebrated. It serves as a symbol of the extended community of believers, a community unbroken by death. Christians are citizens of two cities: Heaven and earth (Gaudium et spes, #43). As its core function and purpose, the Catholic cemetery, in union with the whole Church, helps to illuminate the path as we make our pilgrimage from earth to heaven.
Your Catholic Cemeteries of San Antonio share this same vision and continue to seek ways to fulfill and enhance our ministry.

(Copies of this publication are available for a small fee through cemetery offices)