"Dutch nuns open new cemetery for 'natural burials'"

"A new cemetery providing natural burials was recently opened in the Netherlands after years of preparation. The Trappistine Sisters of the Abbey of Koningsoord came up with the idea... A natural cemetery doesn’t use vaults and allows the bodies of those buried there to decompose naturally in the soil... According to Bergervoet and the sisters, more and more people are preferring cremation over a burial, because they don’t want to burden their children with taking care of a grave. The natural cemetery offers them an alternative. People take their time choosing a spot. Couples often visit together and go for long walks. They want to see whiat a certain spot looks like in summer, or in winter. 'Life and death come together at a moment like this. Of course, emotions flow freely, and that’s completely fine,' said Bergervoet. The Trappistine Sisters follow the Rule of St. Benedict, where silence, prayer and work are central elements. They also need to support themselves financially. Therefore, the sisters have been running, among other things, a book bindery and a restoration workshop. The cemetery is also meant to generate an income for the upkeep of the nature reserve and the abbey. The Dutch sisters were inspired by their counterparts in the United States, The Trappistine Sisters of the Abbey of Our Lady of the Holy Cross in Virginia, who have been running a natural cemetery for years... Everybody is welcome at the cemetery, regardless of faith or national origin, providing people respect each other’s beliefs. It is possible, of course, to hold a Catholic ceremony. The natural cemetery is divided in four fields called Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter."