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Thread: Pope's casket

  1. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by David Fried
    I have always been amazed at the thousands folks pay for fancy caskets. Do you think this will change peoples values/purchases? I figure if a plain wood box is good enough for the pope ...
    David, you miss the point of caskets and from your comment the larger issue of funerals. The funeral process, the visitation (wake), the casket and the floral tributes all help in the healing process of a lost-loved family member and friend.

    It is not for the deceased but for the family members of the deceased. The last time you will see a deceased loved one is in a casket. The purpose of the casket is for family and friends to remember their lost-loved one. You will always rember.....

    The same goes for floral tributes to the deceased.

    Is it practical? Not from the stand point of the deceased. It is practical from the stand point of showing the family your love and support at a difficult time.

    With regards to our Pope, was it practical for the millions of people to travel from around the world to see the Pope lie in state? Probably not. Did it help those people, who did travel to catch a last glimpse of the Pople, deal with their grief? Yes.

    Funeral caskets, wakes at funeral homes, and floral tributes in economic terms are not practical, but the entire process is practical in the healing process of a lost-loved one

    Respectfully,
    Joe Mioux, florist.

  2. #17
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    Apparently, the casket got noticed a lot...NPR's "The World" tonight did a piece this night about it and interviewed a fellow from the Trappist Casket Company...about the only firm in the US that makes similar products to order as their prime business. There already has been growing demand for elegant simplicity and the fellow more or less said that the phones were starting to ring since the service this morning...
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  3. #18
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    inlays

    Quote Originally Posted by Erin Stringer
    Its good to know I'm not the only one that noticed the dovetails. Anyone know what the inlays on the top represented?
    The Cross represents Christ and the M stands for the Virgin Mary who Pope Paul had a great affinity for.

  4. #19
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    I get to see alot of caskets during the course of a year, close to 200 each year.

    Simple and elegant caskets are not cheap.

    A comparison can be made to the Pope's casket and President Reagan's casket.

    The Pope's casket was made out of Cypress while President Reagan's was made out of solid Mahoghany.

    Both caskets were simple in design. The President's casket had no or ornamentation on the the sides or on the corners.

    The wood spoke for itself in both caskets.

    Joe

  5. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by Harry Thornton
    and I am sure that is the way this man wanted it. I am not a Catholic but I know that he wanted to be buried like an ordinary man. This casket was very simple. Even I could have made such a box. God love him. I did not agree with him about everything but he was a sincere human being. And his casket was a beautiful expression of his life.
    Hello everyone! This is my first post. I just wanted to say that this must be the friendliest, most well behaved forum that I have ever visited on the internet. Kudos to all.
    I hope I don't turn into a big pain with all of the stupid newbie tricks and questions that will surely follow...

    The casket is a symbol of Jesus' life as a carpenter during his younger years. Joseph was a carpenter also. Remember the scene in the first Indiana Jones movie where Harrison Ford had to choose the correct chalise from many choices? The German guy runs in, grabs the gold, gem encrusted one, and drinks from it. Then he melts, dehydrates, burns, and explodes. (Talk about having a bad day, eh?) Ford thinks to himself "this is the cup of a carpenter", and grabs the nasty looking carved one...

    I was gonna post the Biblical version, but I figured that ya'll might like the Hollwood version better.

    Michael
    Last edited by Ken Salisbury; 04-10-2005 at 1:03 PM. Reason: removed profanity acronym

  6. #21
    I remember that scene....I chuckled when the guy grabbed the really ornate one....

  7. #22
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    Cypress sealed with wax? Hermetically sealed zinc? Third one of oak? Covered with a marble slab?....... Please expain the part about simplicity.

    Don't get me wrong, I am Catholic and a big fan of the Pope, but this is the first time I've heard anyone use the word simple in conjunction with my religion.

    The cermony was extremely elaborate, but befitting a man who served so long and nobly. He deserved and received much more than an ordinary man.
    Torre

    A lack of thoughtfulness is different than a lack of intelligence, but often has the same net result

  8. #23
    I think we were actually talking about the design of each wooden casket being simplistic as well as the actual construction. They were by no means overly ornate. They were very nice I thought.

  9. #24
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    caskets

    I never would use simple to describe a Catholic service. That said it's all about symbols and outward messages to the masses. The casket that everyone could see was simple in design to show that in the end even the Pope was a man, but one who was devoid of worldly possessions. But the burial of a Pope or any person of great position can never be simple even if they want it to be. The 2 additional caskets are intended to protect the worldly body of the Pope which will be considered to be a Holy Relic for future generations and as a tangible sign of continuity in the hierarchy of the Church. Was the Pope a common man? No, but he did come from a humble beginning and in the end met his mortality like every other person on this planet will someday, and he knew and understood this throughout his ministry.


  10. #25
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    I think the Pope's casket has a lot of integrety in its humble understated presence....in the past several years I had to select one for my mother and another for my father.....they died about 8 years apart, my father first...my sister called me and suggested a simple pine box....this seemed just right....it was the correct choice. About 6 years ago my nephew and his wife had a child still born. He asked me to make the casket and I did...it was a very difficult project emotionally for me. It seems that your best work is never good enough....it was maple , dovetailed and trapezoidal...with a gentle curve...the top was fitted with 4 ebony wedges through pine tenons...I think they loved it....I was very sad and numb....while building it...
    Last edited by Mark Singer; 04-10-2005 at 11:13 PM.
    "All great work starts with love .... then it is no longer work"

  11. #26
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    You're a better man than I Mark. I don't know that I could have completed the project.
    Ken

    So much to learn, so little time.....

  12. #27
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    Mark, one of the neat things I do when I look at all the great posts here is try to figure out who the man is behind the post. Between the avitars, home web pages, shop tours and advice it's always neat to me to try to figure someone out. I have even had the pleasure to meet and talk with some folks from the site... always a pleasure!


    Your posts always are simple and very well thought out. The post above also revealed alot about you. Obviously, your relatives thought the world of you to ask for such a commission. The details that you put into the casket sound beautiful. You are a class act.

  13. #28
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    John,

    It is often hard to express how you feel....with the SMC family it is easier for me...since I always feel I am among friends...thanks for your comments...sometimes I joke try to make life fun without hurting anyone.....the casket was different it was from the heart...I still feel it..

    Quote Originally Posted by John Harris
    Mark, one of the neat things I do when I look at all the great posts here is try to figure out who the man is behind the post. Between the avitars, home web pages, shop tours and advice it's always neat to me to try to figure someone out. I have even had the pleasure to meet and talk with some folks from the site... always a pleasure!


    Your posts always are simple and very well thought out. The post above also revealed alot about you. Obviously, your relatives thought the world of you to ask for such a commission. The details that you put into the casket sound beautiful. You are a class act.
    "All great work starts with love .... then it is no longer work"

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