Andrew Kramer starts his junior year at Saint Xavier High School this week, and he already has more service hours than he needs. That’s because he has served almost every Thursday this summer with Catholic Charities’ Indigent Burial program that provides burial for those who die without the resources or family to provide them.“For me it’s important to give to the people being buried, to give them the dignity in burial that maybe they didn’t have in life,” Andrew said. “I especially like when family members are here and we can help them. It means so much to them to have a service.”
Andrew also likes learning from the handful of men who also contribute to most services: a neighbor, alumni from Flaget High School, and members of the St. Joseph of Arimathea Society, all in their 70s and 80s. Every Thursday they serve together; some days they also share lunch. “You’re around really good people here,” Andrew said. “You’re getting all their experiences poured into you. So it makes it feel like I’ve ben here forever. And they are great guys.”
On this particularThurs day, friends from Louisville and family from Greensburg, Ky., have come to bury their friend and sister. Through tears, her brother, Michael, thanks everyone there for honoring his sister and for giving them the opportunity to bury her with dignity and love.
“She had a hard life, but she had a big heart,” he said. “You’ve done so much for us. I just can’t tell you what this means to us.”
Even when family and friends aren’t there—which is typically the case—Andrew said it is both meaningful and moving to lay a stranger to rest with care. “I like that we’re here to surround that person. I like that their last moments are filled with kindness.”