“There are so many things. Do I want to be buried under a tree? ... Do I want an upright monument? Do I want a flat monument? Do I want to be close to the road? There’s a lot of decisions,” she said.

Of course there are also casket choices, liturgy choices — who should read, final words at the graveside, music — and flowers versus an appropriate charity.

But Catholics don’t have to be buried in the ground.

“The biggest increase I’ve seen is the increase in cremation,” said Profenna.

In Ontario as a whole, more than half of all funerals involve cremations. While Catholics lag behind in terms of cremation, it has recently reached as high as 32 per cent.

Still, the most common question Catholic Cemeteries hears is, “Can Catholics be cremated?” They can, provided the cremation is not a statement denying the Resurrection. Catholic cremations were discouraged beginning in the 18th century, when Masons and a few Paris intellectuals were trumpeting it as a way of refuting the doctrine of the Resurrection. But it was never really banned, and beginning in the 1960s bishops around the world more clearly taught that God, who made humans from dust, can resurrect us from the dust of cremation.

“We have to get Catholics to think about cremation as not the final step in the process,” said Profenna. “It’s one step in the process. The final step in the process would be to inter the ashes.”

Interring the ashes as opposed to scattering them to the wind or the waves, or putting them on the nick-nack shelf at home is a matter of respect and reverence for the body — the temple of the Holy Spirit.

Recently, Catholic Cemeteries met with parish secretaries — often the first people families talk to regarding a death — about cremation in a Catholic context.

Mausoleum burial continues to be an important option for many European immigrants, especially Italians. But there’s no reason it should be restricted to immigrant communities.

“The odd person just prefers entombment because they don’t have to visit a grave in the dead of winter or the heat of summer,” said Profenna.

There may be more burial options in the future, including green burials. A green burial generally involves burial in a shroud and a biodegradable casket that looks a lot like a wicker basket. Internment is in a naturalized green space — a forest.

“Our next cemetery is going to be opening in Brampton. I think that they would look to develop green space,” said Profenna.

So far, Catholic Cemeteries hasn’t had any requests for a green burial. But they want to be ready when such a request comes, said Profenna.

“We’re always trying to see what trends are happening. I find though that Catholics generally speaking prefer more traditional methods,” she said.