On Mondays, I answer questions frequently asked by those considering a return to the Catholic Church. How do I know this stuff? I was away for more than 30 years myself, and am the co-author of When They Come Home: Ways to Welcome Returning Catholics, a book for pastors and parish leaders interested in this ministry.
I want to be cremated when I die. Can I do that if I come back to the Church?
That’s fine, provided your intent is not to, as the Catechism puts it, “demonstrate a denial of faith in the resurrection of the body.” 
Preferably, your earthly remains will be cremated after a funeral Mass.
In addition, ashes cannot be scattered on your favorite beach or at your home; instead, they must be buried in a Catholic cemetery or at a columbarium, which are sometimes built into church structures. The ashes must be kept together and treated with the same respect as one would treat a body.
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