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Cemeteries are rooted in ancient religious rituals of reverence for the dead. Separate sacred spaces have always been set aside for burial. Influenced by Jewish tradition and the diversity of burial practices of Gentile converts, the early Christian Church developed a burial tradition which retained reverence for the body and a sacred space for burial, but also connected the death/resurrection of the believer with the death/resurrection of the Lord. That is why Eucharist, the remembrance and celebration of the death and resurrection of the Lord, has always been integral to the burial of Christians who "have died in the hope of rising again".

When one enters a Catholic cemetery, the Church's teachings about life, death, and life after death should come to mind. Cemeteries are part of our ritual space. Those involved in cemeteries are meant to provide a ministerial service.