Thread: Cost of Burial Turns Hispanics to Cremation

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/commu...,5522628.story

Cost of burial turns Orlando-area Hispanics to cremation
Jos� L�pez Bribiesca | El Sentinel
November 9, 2008
When Elena Rodr�guez of Apopka buried her uncle, she felt grief -- and sticker shock.

For the native of Tamaulipas, Mexico, the funeral costs were more than she expected, and much more than they would have been in her homeland.

And rather than the customary three days for a vigil, she had less than a day to memorialize him before his body was sent to its final resting place in Mexico.

Although burials are customary south of the border, she has decided to be cremated when her time comes.

"That's something I would like for myself," Rodr�guez said, "that when I leave, they would burn me and throw me out to sea."

Rodr�guez is among the growing number of Hispanics who are adjusting their traditions to cope with the high costs of dying.


Strong ties to homeland

In addition to burials and extended vigils, many Hispanics prefer to be buried in their native land, driving costs even higher. Some have family plots. Others simply want to return to the place where they were born.

Sending a body from Florida to Puerto Rico, for example, costs about $1,000 -- a price that includes picking up the body, embalming, preparing legal documents and transporting the body to the airport, said Aracely Carmona, manager of Funeraria San Juan, a Hispanic-owned funeral home in Kissimmee.

The price of the casket is separate, as is the cost of the flight, she added.

Sending a body to Mexico from Orlando costs an average of $500, said an agent for Aerom�xico.

At Robert Bryant Funeral & Cremation Chapel in Orlando, more Mexicans send their dead to their native homeland than any other ethnic group, said manager Mariela del Valle. Nationwide, an average 8,000 bodies are repatriated to Mexico from the United States each year, according to a 2006 estimate by the Mexican Congress.

"No matter what the cost is or what the situation is, they will make it happen," she said. "They're very different than any other Hispanics."

Their indigenous ties to the earth and the importance of family are the main reasons why even the humblest of Mexicans make the financial sacrifice of sending bodies back home and burying them there, said the Rev. Fernando Gil, president of the Church Tribunal at the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orlando.

"They consider it a disgrace to die outside of their motherland," Gil said.

The traditional three-day vigil includes a day for family and friends to pay their respects, usually with prayer led by a priest or layperson. The second day consists of a Mass at the deceased's home parish, and the third day is the burial.

"In some way, the church in the past founded these three steps to correspond with the Bible," Gil said.


Mexico offers assistance

Recognizing the importance of repatriation in Mexican culture, the Mexican government provides some financial assistance to those who need it, said Norma Moreno of the Mexican Consulate in Orlando.

The Puerto Rican government used to help families send their deceased loved ones back to the island, but budget cuts put an end to such assistance, said Sylvia T. C�ceres, director of the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration.

This has led to a significant drop in the number of families shipping bodies to Puerto Rico, she said.

More and more, Puerto Ricans, Mexicans and other Hispanics are turning to cremation as a less costly alternative to burials and repatriation.

"The situation they face is kind of hard: Despite not believing in it, they adjust to the costs," del Valle said. "They're kind of forced to because of the economy."

The cost for cremation starts at about $700. The price goes up if additional services and accessories, such as an urn for ashes, are requested, said Naoly Mathison of A Community Funeral & Sunset Cremations in Orlando.

The Hispanics who most seem to have accepted cremation are Puerto Ricans, Gil said.

But he said others are sure to follow when they become aware of the misconception among Hispanics that the Catholic Church, the dominant religion in Latin America, frowns upon cremation.

"The church is not against cremation. There is an approved ritual for religious services in the presence of ashes," he said.

Whatever final arrangements are made, Gil offers the following advice: "The church urges people that these manifestations of love be better demonstrated toward people when they're alive."

What is the point of the story? Is this a prelude to subsidizing funerals for illegal immigrants while the honest people have to pay full price for the same thing?
If it is so much cheaper in Mexico as the story says then why did they leave??

I'm of the mindset that Illegals should pay 'more' for everything they have not less. The difference should go back into the social services that they suck up like a hoover.

Their indigenous ties to the earth and the importance of family are the main reasons why even the humblest of Mexicans make the financial sacrifice of sending bodies back home and burying them there, said the Rev. Fernando Gil, president of the Church Tribunal at the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orlando.

"They consider it a disgrace to die outside of their motherland," Gil said.

Whatever happened to "This is our land. We are only returning to our homeland?"

Originally Posted by noyoucannot

Whatever happened to "This is our land. We are only returning to our homeland?"

Good point!