Not permitted
The Eastern Orthodox Church and cremation
No. The Eastern Orthodox Church does not permit cremation. When a person voluntarily chooses cremation, an Orthodox funeral service is generally not served for them. If your family is Orthodox, speak with your priest before arranging anything — including with us. We publish this plainly because honest guidance matters more than a sale.
Not permitted; funeral rites are generally withheld.
What the Orthodox Church teaches
Orthodox practice has never adopted cremation. The body is honored as the temple of the Holy Spirit and is returned to the earth whole, awaiting the resurrection — the pattern of Christ’s own burial. This is not a modern policy but continuous liturgical and canonical practice.
The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and the Orthodox Church in America both state the consequence directly: a person who voluntarily chose cremation is generally not granted an Orthodox funeral service or church burial rites. Where cremation was involuntary — required by civil authority, or after a mass disaster — bishops exercise pastoral discretion (economia).
Because the consequences fall on the funeral rites themselves, the priest is the first call, not the funeral provider. Nothing we arrange can substitute for that conversation.
What this means for your family
If the person who died was a practicing Orthodox Christian, we will tell you what we have written here and encourage you to call your parish priest before signing anything. An Orthodox burial is not something we provide, and we would rather point you to the right help than take a cremation case the Church would grieve.
Families are not always of one faith. Where the person who died was not Orthodox but some relatives are, we can help you plan a cremation that stays respectful of the Orthodox members — clear timelines, an unhurried farewell before transfer, and ashes interred rather than scattered, which Orthodox relatives generally find easier to honor.
How we serve Eastern Orthodox families
- We answer questions honestly, including "the Orthodox Church would say no to this" — before any paperwork, not after.
- If you need an Orthodox funeral rather than a cremation, we will say so and step aside; your parish can recommend a burial provider.
- For mixed-faith families proceeding with cremation, we accommodate a farewell before transfer and return ashes suitable for interment.
Our direct cremation is $1,750, all-inclusive, answered live at (214) 550-7369 any hour. What it covers — and what it does not — is published on our pricing page; how the process runs is on how it works.
Primary sources
Doctrinal statements on this page cite the documents below. Where we link, we link the issuing body itself; where a document has no stable public link, we cite it by name.
- On cremation — funeral guidelines — Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
- Questions and answers on cremation — Orthodox Church in America
Questions families ask
Can an Orthodox Christian ever be cremated?
The Church does not bless voluntary cremation. Where cremation was outside anyone’s control — civil requirement, disaster, or repatriation law — bishops exercise pastoral discretion about the rites. The ruling belongs to the priest and bishop, not to a funeral provider.
Will a priest serve a funeral if cremation already happened?
Generally not, if the cremation was voluntarily chosen. Some pastoral exceptions exist for involuntary cases. Call the parish before making any arrangement — this order of operations is the single most important thing we can tell an Orthodox family.
Why does a cremation company publish this page?
Because families search for the answer and deserve a true one. Direct cremation is right for many families; for practicing Orthodox Christians the Church says it is not, and pretending otherwise would be a disservice.
Ready when you are.
Call and a person picks up. No menu, no hold queue, no callback form. If you would rather start in writing, the online form takes about four minutes.