Testimonials
Family Testimonial
Here’s what one Catholic family says about planning ahead for their cemetery and funeral needs:
St. Michael the Archangel parishioners, Liz and Bill Dumortier:
“We thought we understood and had prepared for the process of our funeral and burial. However, in hindsight, we were ‘clueless’. The information we received was helpful in knowing types of burials, costs, caskets and choices.”
Three reasons for planning with Catholic Cemeteries at this time: “#1 – Inner peace – knowing it makes our wishes clearly known so there will be no guessing on the part of our family; #2 – Takes the burden of psychological and financial pressure off our family when we die; #3 – It shows we love and care about those we leave behind.
How easy was it to preplan with your counselor during the home visit? “Incredibly rewarding. It was a spiritual and educational journey, with our extraordinary counselor supporting and gently guiding us through the process…We were blessed God placed Pauline in this position! Listened carefully to our needs, patiently answered questions; as our advocate, we felt trust, comfort and acceptance through the process, including advising, guiding, supporting, encouraging, preparing, assisting, reviewing, resolving.”
Would you recommend that your family and friends take advantage of the Archdiocese’s program? “Yes, definitely! Can’t say enough positive things to encourage all Catholics to commit. Even if you complete the program and choose to wait for final plans, the educational value of the “mechanics” of what to expect is essential. It’s a gift to yourself and those you love to be informed”
And finally, “Do it! Pre-planning is essential. Take advantage of this excellent program. I suspect if we had sought someone in corporate America to take the hours, professional content, and expertise to set up a Burial Plan, we would have paid well over $1000 for what received at no cost.”
For more information about your pre-planning needs, call 913-371-4040 or email us.
Visit our pricing page for a list of our prices.
For more information on Memorial Estate Cemetery Pre-Planning or Funeral Pre-Planning, you can request more information.
Joe and Carol Sullivan
Joe and Carol Sullivan, parishioners at Good Shepherd parish in Shawnee, Kansas, really wanted the peace of mind that came with the knowledge that both cemetery and funeral arrangements were taken care of ahead of time.
Carol and Joe both knew that they wanted their final resting place to be in the sacred ground of a Catholic Cemetery. “It was so easy for us to talk with our counselor regarding all the various options,” Joe offered. But, bottom line, “we wanted to leave as few unanswered questions for our kids as possible!” That’s why they started the planning process three years earlier by completing the cemetery arrangements first, and then funeral arrangements this year. Carol said “We experienced ourselves how much easier it was to go into cemetery and funeral planning sessions when a death had occurred because Joe’s folks had all of their planning done ahead of time.” She went on to say, “We would encourage anyone to begin this planning process with a Catholic Cemetery counselor. We never felt any pressure to make a decision on anything but exactly what we wanted!”
The Sullivans remarked on how the entire process was so simple yet very detailed in each of their planning sessions. “We wouldn’t have had a clue on the huge cost differences between funeral homes. In one case, almost triple the difference from where we might have gone versus where we actually chose! We really think other Catholic families need to find out how much they can save by doing this ahead of time with a Catholic Cemetery counselor.”
Thank you, Sullivans, for your very kind words. All of our counselors attempt to give as much time as necessary to walk each Catholic family through the pre-arrangement process for the Vigil, the Funeral Mass, and finally, burial in sacred ground. Once completed, we are able to show pricing options that fit every family’s individual needs. No need to spend all the wasted hours going from funeral home to funeral home comparing pricing. We have that available for you….that’s all part of what our ministry has set out to accomplish….being the ultimate resource in your Archdiocese to enable you to make the most educated decision you can on what’s best for you and your family.
For more information about your pre-planning needs, call 913-371-4040 or email us.
Visit our pricing page for a list of our prices.
For more information on Memorial Estate Cemetery Pre-Planning or Funeral Pre-Planning, you can request more information.
Joseph and Patricia Waliczek
St. Joseph parishioners, Joseph and Patricia Waliczek:
“We had talked about the need to make our final arrangements in advance for years. We wanted to make sure our wishes were recorded and respected and that our children would not have to deal with the extra burden and expense at the time of our passing. When the representative from Catholic Cemeteries called, we just decided, now is the time. We were able to take care of both our cemetery property and funeral plan needs easily in a single afternoon. There is great peace of mind in having this done.”
Shelby and Dorothy Locklear
St. Joseph parishioners, Shelby and Dorothy Locklear:
“We purchased our plot, vault and headstone years ago. We knew we needed to do the final part of our cemetery services as well as do our funeral services.
In retrospect, what made it easiest for us to pre-plan our funeral with Peggy Cox (who was really great) was the fact that she came to our home and showed us prices of multiple funeral homes, which allowed us to compare many plans all at one time.
We are relieved that everything is now complete, but mostly because we have left none of these worries for our children. Having this behind us gives us great peace of mind!”
Sheryl Croy
St. Joseph parishioner, Sheryl Croy:
“Even after I made the decision to purchase my property at St. Joseph Cemetery and arrange my Catholic funeral with Catholic Cemeteries, I had several follow-up questions. My Catholic Cemeteries representative, Gary, was responsive and extremely patient in addressing all my concerns. I am so happy my sons will not have to deal with these details when I pass on.”
Marcia and Everett Jennings
St. Patrick parishioners, Marcia and Everett Jennings:
“We already owned our spaces at Gate of Heaven Cemetery. Our Catholic Cemetery representative, Gary Ortiz, helped us order an ‘upgrade’ to the memorial we had previously purchased and helped us create a file for Everett’s DD214 for his time in the military so that he will receive his veteran’s marker and full military honors when he passes. We got exactly what we wanted and whomever is the first to be ‘laid to rest’, the surviving spouse can calmly and respectfully memorialize the life that was shared minus the stress of making final arrangements.”
Marjorie and Jean Thummel
St. Paul parishioners, Marjorie and Jean Thummel:
“Being born into a Catholic family, our faith has always been very deep and practiced consistently throughout our life. We have attended many funerals over our lifetime, and burial of the body after the Mass in a Catholic cemetery was the Catholic way. In reflecting on many of these funerals, at the back of our mind, cost was always a leading factor. Could you afford it? Being two sisters alone and with one sister deaf, it was imperative to get our funeral arrangements completed now, before the hearing sister could potentially become disabled.
The Archdiocesan program is helpful and informative. It was nice that Pauline was able to come to us at home so that we didn’t have to go to her office. It was also helpful that we could make our needs known, and trust that what you ask for will be done. It’s cheaper than we thought and as a result, we no longer worry that we won’t be able to have a Catholic burial Mass!
Our counselor, Pauline, was very knowledgeable about Catholic cemeteries and Catholic funerals. It is a relief knowing our final journey on earth will be taken care of in the Catholic Church. God bless Pauline Jung!”
Patricia and Joanna Sanchez
Holy Name parishioners, Patricia and Joanna Sanchez:
“We’ve known for awhile taking care of our arrangements needed to be done. We learned so much from Pauline about the Church teachings, her personal experiences and the experiences of others that we decided to ‘take care of business now!’
Of course, we wanted to take this burden off our children. But, it also allowed us to pay for it now, rather than our daughters at the time of need. Not only was the process easy, but Pauline’s presentation ‘sealed’ all of questions we might have had!
All we can say is ‘Thank you’ for sharing this information with us. We so appreciate you!”
Jerry and Karen Overbey
Immaculate Conception-St. Joseph parishioners, Jerry and Karen Overbey
Karen writes about The Catholic Burial Plan:
“Information about cost was most helpful. We had no idea what kind of dollar amount we should expect. We completed our planning because our grandparents all prepaid their final expenses. As a result, we were most appreciative and wanted to follow their example. Besides that, it won’t be any cheaper the longer we wait!
I felt extremely happy knowing I was removing this responsibility from my children. And I am happy knowing that no matter what, I will have a funeral Mass and a Catholic burial.”
