The Archdiocese of Chicago and Cook County officials holded a committal service to bury indigent, unidentified and unborn persons. Cook County, through the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office, was entrusted with the final disposition of indigent deceased, unidentified deceased and fetal remains. The Archdiocese of Chicago Catholic Cemeteries has agreed to provide burial as a public service.
The committal service included burial of one unidentified person, 48 unborn persons and 114 cremated indigent remains. Local funeral directors and other volunteers accompanied each decedent at the service and stay until the burial is complete. Rev. Lawrence Sullivan, director of Catholic Cemeteries of the Archdiocese of Chicago, presides over the service and leaded the blessing of the caskets.
Since 2012, Catholic Cemeteries, the Archdiocese of Chicago and Cook County have worked together with help from the Cook County Funeral Directors Association, Worsham College of Mortuary Science and Malcolm X College to bury the indigent, unborn and unidentified persons.