By CARDINAL JOHN J. O'CONNOR

Since the Holy Season of Lent provides a beautiful opportunity for reflection on death and resurrection and our great hope as Christians of entering into eternal glory, I have decided to publish the following policy statement as Ash Wednesday opens the gateway to the Lenten Season.

It's not a brand-new word, but it's being used far more frequently than in the past. As cremation becomes more common, so with the term "cremains," for "cremated remains." I am happy to go for months without hearing it, but that's purely a matter of taste.

What is not a matter of taste is the manner of disposing of a cremated body. In my judgment, some things are bizarre, such as baking them into a piece of pottery, or dividing them among family members, approaches I have read of recently. Despite my years in the Navy, I am equally disinclined to see ashes sprinkled at sea, or from an airplane.

In any event, my personal likes or dislikes are not the issue. The Church preaches quite clearly the practice to be observed. While I do not normally use this column to spell out archdiocesan policy, I do so in this instance. The practice prescribed below is to prevail in the Archdiocese of New York.

"The cremated remains of a body should be treated with the same respect given to the human body from which they come. This includes the use of a worthy vessel to contain the ashes, the manner in which they are carried, the care and attention to appropriate placement and transport, and the final disposition. The cremated remains should be buried in a grave or entombed in a mausoleum or columbarium. The practice of scattering cremated remains on the sea, from the air, or on the ground, or keeping cremated remains in the home of a relative or friend of the deceased are not the reverent disposition that the Church requires. Whenever possible, appropriate means for recording with dignity the memory of the deceased should be adopted, such as a plaque or stone which records the name of the deceased." (Order of Christian Funerals, Appendix No. 417)

The same decree of the Church recommends that if the choice has been made to cremate a body, it should be done after the Funeral Liturgy. (No. 418). By special indult, however, "the cremated remains of the body of a deceased person is permitted in the dioceses of the United States," during the Funeral Liturgy, including Mass, under certain conditions. A key condition is quoted here in full.

"That each diocesan bishop will judge whether it is pastorally appropriate to celebrate the liturgy for the dead, with or without Mass, with the ashes present, taking into account the concrete circumstances in each individual case, and in harmony with the spirit and precise content of the current canonical and liturgical norms." (No. 426, b)

After appropriate consultation, I have agreed to authorize Archdiocesan Regional Episcopal Vicars (bishops and priests appointed with certain responsibilities for different geographical regions) to respond to requests of pastors in their areas to determine whether the conditions described above have been met. If further questions remain, of course, the regional vicar can readily present them to the Vicar General or to myself.

I should add, at the same time, that the Church prefers burial of the body.

"Although cremation is now permitted by the Church, it does not enjoy the same value as burial of the body. The Church clearly prefers and urges that the body of the deceased be presented for the funeral rites, since the presence of the human body better expresses the values which the Church affirms in those rites." (No. 413)

"The Church's teaching in regard to the human body as well as the Church's preference for burial of the body should be a regular part of catechesis on all levels and pastors should make particular efforts to preserve this important teaching." (No. 414)

What is this all about? On the one hand, it is about the Church's recognition that increasing numbers of families and individuals are legitimately relieved of many demanding problems, including the problem of the high costs of funerals, by the use of cremation. So long as cremation implies no contempt for the human body or for Church teaching about the resurrection, the practice is permissible when prescribed conditions are met.

Of equal importance, however, is the Church's desire to remind us that we are temples of God, made in his image, that one day, if we have died with our sins forgiven, our souls and bodies will be reunited in heaven. The body deserves to be treated in death with the dignity merited by its origins and the sacred role it has fulfilled in this world as his holy temple.

Most Catholic people want their bodies to be buried after death, and desire the same for loved ones, or, indeed, for anyone for whom they have some responsibility, and it can not be denied that the Church favors burial, while authorizing cremation where circumstances indicate. At the same time, while it is not for the Church to determine how elaborate a funeral should be, the cost of a casket or related issues, it is very much the right of the Church to urge that all funeral directors have the same consideration for the poor that many funeral directors do. People are particularly vulnerable upon the death of a loved one. They want to do "the right thing." They are easily tempted to buy an inordinately elaborate casket and to spend a great deal of money they can not afford on a variety of "extras." They are ready prey to unscrupulous funeral directors.

A particularly reprehensible practice developing in recent years is for some of these same or other unscrupulous funeral directors to discourage families from having a "Church funeral," because of the costs. Such funeral directors urge families simply to have a "wake," or a "viewing" at a funeral parlor, with or without a religious service, or, at most, to have a religious service at the cemetery.

We have many poor parishes. The pastors of these parishes are assigned there because they want to be there; they want to serve poor people. These pastors try their best to keep costs at an absolute minimum. I can not imagine that any family who honestly can not afford a reasonable offering for a "Funeral Mass" would be turned away. We urge every family to speak with their pastor before making definitive arrangements about a funeral. Any responsible funeral director--and there is no lack of responsible funeral directors in the Archdiocese of New York--will gladly help a family to make arrangements with a pastor, rather than discourage them from doing so.

I, personally, celebrate a significant number of Funeral Masses each year. For me, every one of them is filled with meaning and with grace. I am reminded of my own mortality and that my death can not be many more years away. I thank God for the dignity and beauty of the Mass, for the great gift of the Sacraments of Penance and Anointing of the Dying, for, above all, the faith that teaches us that at death "life is changed, not ended."