Southern Nebraska Register
The All Souls Memorial Crypt at Calvary Cemetery in Lincoln was the answer to a prayer for Grant and Monica Ottinger.
On or near All Souls Day each year, the cemetery accepts unburied cremated remains at the crypt for entombment, without cost, as a sign of the Catholic belief in the reverence for the human body after death.
In November 2019, the first year the service was offered, the Ottingers found a final resting place for Grant’s mother, Nelda. In 2017, she died of ovarian cancer in in Washington, Kan., at the age of 70 and donated her body for cancer research. At the research’s conclusion, her body was cremated and the remains left to her husband, Steve, who by then was living with Monica and Grant – Steve and Nelda’s only child. The financial necessities for burial were a challenge for them.
Nelda was a Christian but not Catholic and wanted to have her remains scattered in Colorado, where relatives are buried. Grant and Monica, members of St. Patrick Parish in Lincoln, knew as Catholics that wasn’t an option.
“I wanted to give my mom a proper resting place, to be where God is always present and where Mass is celebrated,” Grant said. Having the remains at their home also wasn’t an answer. “We needed to do the right thing.”
Monica learned of Calvary Cemetery’s All Souls Day service in a Southern Nebraska Register article.
“I feel like honestly it was a best-case scenario, she said.” The family was provided with a no-cost option, a simple, respectful service, “and she gets to be at a beautiful cemetery,” Monica said.
At the time the All Souls Day service was instituted, Msgr. Timothy Thorburn, then the director of Calvary Cemetery, said, “We want to make it easy for people to have the cremated remains of their loved ones permanently entombed. We are providing a dignified place where loved ones can come to pray and remember.”
As in the case of Nelda Ottinger, the service is provided for families of any faith or no faith who are in possession of unburied remains.
“This is especially a unique opportunity for families that otherwise would not be in a position to afford the cost of burial or entombment,” Msgr. Thorburn said.
Although burial or entombment of the body is preferred, Catholic belief permits cremation, as long as is it not chosen to express disbelief in the resurrection of the body. Catholic teaching requires that cremated remains be buried or entombed, preferably at a consecrated place such as Calvary, to await the day of their rising. It is contrary to the reverence for the faithful departed to keep cremated remains, to scatter them or to make jewelry or other items out of the ashes.
The All Souls Day service is a simple one, held outside near the crypt.
“It was emotional for me,” Grant Ottinger said, “because it was a chance to let go.”
Now, Grant and Monica’s five children have a place to visit and pay respects to their grandmother. Even driving by on O Street, Grant said, “The kids pass by and say, ‘We love you, Nana.’”
All Souls Day services at Calvary
The traditional All Souls Day Mass at Calvary Cemetery will be celebrated Monday, Nov. 2, at 5 p.m. at Calvary’s St. Charbel Mausoleum Chapel at 3880 L St. Bishop James Conley will be the celebrant.
Also that day, the cemetery will continue its tradition of accepting for entombment unburied cremated remains, regardless of faith, at the All Souls Memorial Crypt.
Calvary manager Jerry Ficke said those who wish to use the service for cremated remains of loved ones must contact the cemetery by Friday, Oct. 30, to fill out the necessary documents, without which the interment cannot take place. Calvary can be reached at 402-476-8787 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Cremated remains will be accepted only on the day of the service, between 2:15 p.m. and 2:45 p.m. Otherwise, the opportunity will not be available again until All Souls Day 2027.
The entombment service will take place at 3 p.m. at the crypt on the north side of St. Charbel Chapel. Personalized memorial bricks to be placed near the crypt are available for purchase. Personal, individual niches for cremated remains are available at a variety of price points at Calvary Cemetery.
