Kirkkonummi funeral plan draws protest over higher costs

A proposed plan to move funeral services and body storage during renovations at St Michael’s Church in Kirkkonummi has prompted concerns that families will face hundreds of euros in extra costs, Yle reports.

The church renovation is scheduled to begin in 2028 and is expected to last two years. Under a preliminary plan by the Kirkkonummi Parish Union, funeral services and storage for the deceased would move, at least during the renovation, to Haapajärvi Chapel in northern Kirkkonummi. The plans also envisage fewer funeral services at the church after the renovation, with no body storage there.

Three local funeral homes have been collecting signatures against the proposal. Funeral home owner Anne Kataikko says moving services to the chapel could add hundreds of euros to families’ bills. Tove Stolt, who runs Bo R Lindström Funeral Services, says transport costs and staff hours would rise when a burial takes place at the cemetery beside St Michael’s Church but the service is held at the chapel, about 19 kilometres from the town centre.

The chapel’s refrigerated storage currently has room for four bodies, which the parish union says is not enough. The union has raised the possibility of using separate refrigerated containers, but funeral home operators consider that option unethical. Opponents have proposed building a chapel and storage facilities near St Michael’s Church; a previous project for this was abandoned because of cost-cutting.

Parish Union finance director Sirkkaliisa Cavonius said no final decisions had been made and the proposal was still being prepared by officials. She said the union was listening to parishioners, elected representatives and funeral operators. The union is also considering holding services during the renovation in Siuntio or at other nearby churches and chapels. Cavonius said any additional storage would be designed to be appropriate and respectful.

Burial costs have also risen in Finland in recent years, partly because of reduced state funding for the church and broader cost increases.