Funerals and Memorial Services under the care of the Monteverde Meeting

Of all the wonders that I yet have heard,

It seems to me most strange the men should fear;

Seeing that death, a necessary end,

Will come when it will come.

from Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare

Death will come when it will come. We never know when it will be. Preparing for this natural end will help your family and others who are affected by your death. This information is to aid you and your family in this process, if you would like to have your funeral and/or your burial under the care of the Monteverde Friends Meeting.

Planning for your funeral

Please answer the questions in the attached Questionnaire on Funeral and Memorial Service Preferences, and return it to the funeral committee. Please keep a copy in your own files as well.

Coffins

The family of the deceased is responsible for providing a coffin. The coffin needs to be ready immediately after death occurs. Commercially sold coffins can be very expensive and are not available in Monteverde. The funeral committee tries to keep several simple wooden coffins on hand for sale at more affordable prices in case of emergencies. The coffin must be paid for before the body is placed in it. When death is anticipated, we strongly encourage the family to obtain a coffin ahead of time as this eases the process. If you are interested in having one made, the funeral committee has a list of woodworkers in the area who have done this. The committee is not responsible for storing personal coffins.

For people who would like to order a cardboard coffin, you may contact ATECSA (Asdrubal Aguero Valverde,  atecsa@live.com) for more information.

If the death has occurred in a hospital or the body has been taken to a morgue, it will be necessary to provide a coffin at that location to reclaim the body for burial.

Cremation

The funeral committee can provide you with a list of crematoriums. See below for burial of ashes in the graveyard.

Upon death

Please inform the funeral committee immediately. The funeral committee prepares the body for burial as soon as possible after death. The committee also offers assistance in arranging the funeral according to the desires of the deceased and their family.

Legal procedures

According to Costa Rican law, any death should be reported to the local doctor and local police. Burial must take place within twenty-four hours, unless circumstances do not allow for this. The doctor will fill out a death certificate. The family is responsible for taking the document that the doctor filled out to the Registro Civil and later pick up the legal death certificate. If the person who died is not a Costa Rican citizen, the next of kin must report the death to the pertinent embassy.

If the deceased is to be buried in the Monteverde Friends Meeting graveyard, the Funeral Committee communicates with the Graveyard Committee to request that they prepare the grave following the policies described below.

The Funeral

Funerals under the care of the meeting are a special meeting for worship to celebrate the life of the deceased. The meeting is held in silence in the manner of Friends. Preferences about the details of the funeral, such as location, flowers, etc. should be provided to the Funeral Committee by responding to the questionnaire.

Burial in the Graveyard

Our graveyard is a memorial to the past, a burial garden for those we have loved and who have departed from us. We hope that our graveyard renders a strong and pleasing impression on our senses and those passing our way, and that it connects us to those that lived here before us.

The graveyard of the Monteverde Monthly Meeting of Friends is open to those in the community who request burial in the tradition of this Friends Meeting, and whose families are willing to honor the policies established by the Meeting, explained below.

Reserving space

People who would like to be buried in the Monteverde Friends graveyard should deliver a written request to the Graveyard Committee and full payment of the burial fee to the meeting bookkeeper in order to guarantee a burial plot. Reserved spaces are granted on a first come first serve basis. Families wishing to be buried next to family members already buried in the cemetery are urged to reserve their plots in coordination with the graveyard committee. In this case, payment must be made at the time of reservation.

Burial Fees

The burial fee must be paid before burial. The fee for a burial plot is $500. Pricing is subject to change. The payment includes the gravestone and its installation by the graveyard committee. The remainder of the payment will be put into a Graveyard Endowment Fund, the interest of which is used to maintain the cemetery. “Originals” who arrived in 1951 are required to pay for the gravestone and installation, but not the plot. The fee does not include a coffin. Please refer to the paragraph on coffins earlier in this document. It is also possible to have a burial without a coffin. If you would like to be buried without a coffin, please contact the funeral committee. The burial fee is refundable if the person’s plans change. Burial plots may not be transferred.

Headstones

We desire a cemetery that is visually “green”. The graveyard committee will purchase and install the gravestones, which are uniform, flat, and simple and will include the person’s name, birth date and date of passing. Monuments, mausoleums or other above ground structures will not be permitted.

Maintenance

Maintenance and cleaning will be overseen by the graveyard committee, including grass cutting, weed control, fence maintenance and storm drainage. Flowers and small plants are permitted on the gravesite; families are responsible for maintaining any plantings. Trees and any plants that extend beyond the grave plot are not allowed and will be removed by the graveyard committee.

Ashes

There are many options for depositing ashes in the graveyard:

  • A small plot (90 cm x 1 m) may be reserved for burial of ashes with a headstone. The price for this is $175. Pricing is subject to change.
  • Ashes may be scattered over the grave of a family member or a grave plot that has already been paid for and reserved for family members.
  • A family may reserve a grave plot in which all of their family’s ashes may be deposited for $500. In this case, the graveyard committee will pay for one gravestone and the family will be responsible for additional gravestones. The maximum number of gravestones per plot is six. Several family members may be recorded on each gravestone.
  • Ashes may be buried in a grave plot in which a family member is already buried. In this case the family will have the option of having a gravestone for that person’s ashes or not. The family would not need to pay for the space but would need to pay for the gravestone.
  • Ashes may not be scattered on grave plots that have not been reserved for that person or family.

Contract

Before burial, a contract must be signed by the person wishing to be buried or by a close family member, agreeing to these policies.

Questions?

If you have any questions, please contact the Funeral or Graveyard Committees of the Monteverde Friends Meeting.