December 20, 2015. Madison, Ms. Traditions.

Kate thinks it is creepy.  Several weeks ago, I listened to a TV program on PBS called Mississippi Roads.   One segment was about an old parish in Madison County who make their burial arrangements the old fashioned way.  The small chapel was built in the mid 19th century before the era of machines.  At that time, the graves were dug with shovels by family members and members of the church.   That custom has continued to this day.  Yesterday at the committal for Mrs. Greaves, I realized that I was watching the whole process in front of my own eyes.  The Chapel of the Cross was the church of the Greaves family, which was the same church I heard on TV.

The day before the funeral, family members and the church committee folks met to dig the grave for Mrs. Greaves.  Both the men and women took their turns.  It is an exhausting task.   After the grave site service and committal, the casket was lowered all the way to the bottom of the grave.  In fact as the casket was removed from the straps, the casket splashed as it hit the ground.  That was what made Kate feel was creepy and she was right.  But immediately after, the family members picked up shovels and took turns putting dirt on the casket and filling in the grave.   The church members feel it is part of the act of love to see the loved ones in their final resting place.   When we left, the casket was totally covered and the grave was almost level.

It was interesting to observe and had I not seen the short segment on Mississippi Roads I would not have known what was going on.  It was fascinating.  The Chapel of the Cross is the only Episcopal chapel that continues the old fashioned ritual of digging the grave.  The church members still think it a good idea.  I was fascinated with the tradition.