Last year the Vatican took note of what it called an “unstoppable increase” in cremation by encouraging Catholics to see that cremated remains were deposited in cemeteries or other approved places. Guidelines approved by Pope Francis were specific about cremation: Ashes were not to be scattered in any way.

Many Catholic cemeteries now have niches and above-ground mausoleums for cremated remains. Andrew Schafer, the executive director of Catholic cemeteries for the Archdiocese of Newark, said the cremation rate at the eight cemeteries he oversees had risen to 18 percent a year, up from 10 percent five years ago.

“Now we’re seeing steady growth of 1 percent a year,” he said. “Here in the Northeast, we’re a little more conservative with our traditions. That could be a reason we do not have the same numbers as on the West Coast, where the cremation rate is significantly higher.”

Mr. Hightower, a funeral director in Carrollton, Ga., said the economy also figured in people’s decisions on cremation. It typically costs less than a third of a funeral with a conventional burial, and for many families, the difference is crucial.

“The housing market here got crippled” in the recession, he said. “We saw people who had planned for the date and time of their loss. The family came in and said they had X dollars and if they could spend less, they could pay next month’s mortgage payment or the tuition payment for a grandson.”

Mitch Rose, the president and chief executive of Woodlawn and the first vice president of the Cremation Association of North America, said that interest in cremation was also rising because society is more mobile these days. “It’s tough to get people together for a funeral,” he said. “Cremation gives you options. It gives you the option for time to think about what to do with the remains.” A conventional burial would not.