Planning A Funeral Liturgy
As Catholics, we
believe that God has created each person for
eternal life. Our physical death,
therefore, is really a preparation for
eternity. It is with this belief in the
promise of eternal life that we celebrate
the Catholic Funeral Mass.
It is during the
Funeral Liturgy that we remember not only
the life of the one who has died but also
the presence of the Lord Jesus in that
person’s life. At the death of
a Christian, whose life of faith began in
Baptism and was strengthened by the
Eucharist, the Church intercedes on behalf
of the deceased because of its belief that
death is not the end nor does it break the
bonds formed in life. The Church also
ministers to those who grieve the loss of a
loved one and aids them in finding
consolation through the funeral rites and
the sacrament of the Eucharist.
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The
following words were written by
Father Paul Seaman, our pastor,
shortly after the death of his
father. Perhaps they will
help give a context to the wake
and funeral which we hope is
helpful for you.
Lessons Relearned
The passing of my father has
given me pause and a time to
reflect on many things. And
while I have many memories
to recall, faith issues to
sort out and family time to
share, it’s also given me a
chance to think about the
“professional” aspects of my
life as related to death.
There is a growing trend
among people, even
Catholics, to make the
choice to have no wake or
funeral Mass. There are all
kinds of reasons, some more
understandable than others.
But having just experienced
it, I came to certain
realizations.
The value of ritual is
greater than one might
think. As my family
came together the day dad
died, we were aimless and
overwhelmed. We had
lots of stories, lots tears
and a lot of inner turmoil. But then we needed to get
through preparation for the
funeral….working with a
funeral home, making
connections with the church
and most importantly, trying
to get the word out to
family and friends.
The wake was an amazing
evening. So many good
friends came from so
far, and I was
especially touched by so
many who came from Saint
Pascal. People tried to
express their concern
and love. It was
beautiful. But as Bishop Manz said at the funeral
Mass, “It isn’t what
people say, as much as
it is simply their
presence.” That was
certainly true for me. And while some people
may object that the wake
is a long day for the
family (and it is), it
is also filled with
kindness and friendship.
The funeral was, I
admit, a moment of
anxiety. Being the
mourning son of the dead
person and the priest
responsible for bringing
God’s comfort is a
difficult and
conflicting position. In
fact, some priests don’t
say family funerals and
allow themselves to be
ministered to. I
understand that but,
like my father, I’m
probably too much of a
control freak! My whole
family was deeply
touched by the number of
people who turned out. We had at least a couple
dozen priests and
members of the Saint
Pascal choir joined
members from Saint Emeric. My sister shared
some wonderful words. It
was a wonderful
celebration of faith,
hope and trust in God.
Walking through these
rituals helped give my
family direction. They
opened the door for
friends to express
concern and love.
The rituals reminded us
of the faith that was at
the core of my father,
as it is for all of us.
The rituals gave us a
meaningful way to say
“goodbye.” And for us
believers, it was also a
way for us to turn Dad
over to God, asking His
forgiveness and offer
prayers for his
salvation. This last
one, more than any
other, is why Catholics
should always have a
funeral Mass for a loved
one. It doesn’t matter
if the person went to
church or not, or if the
family does. In fact,
that’s all the more
reason why we need to
pray for those who have
died. Don’t deprive your
loved one --- or
yourself --- of this
moving and redemptive
ritual of life and
death.
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Typically, here
at St. Pascal, a member of the Ministry of
Consolation will contact you to arrange a
time to meet and assist you with planning
the Funeral Liturgy. This website has been
designed to help you understand the rituals
that are used by the Church when a member of
the Body of Christ dies and help you with
questions you might have when planning a
Funeral Mass. It also serves to provide you
with selected readings, psalms, prayers of
the faithful and song selections to review
prior to meeting with the Ministry of
Consolation. Here you will find helpful
links to the following:
Old Testament
Readings /
New Testament Readings
/
Prayers of the Faithful
Selected Responsorial Psalms /
Gospel
Readings /
Song Selections
The
Funeral Mass
At the Funeral
Mass we offer worship, praise and
thanksgiving to God for the gift of a life
which has been returned to God. We are
strengthened by our belief in the
resurrection and find strength and
consolation through our faith in God.
During the Mass we are united in a living
memorial of the suffering and death of Jesus
in the Resurrection.
The Reception of the Deceased
at the entrance to
the church is a reminder that the deceased's
Christian life began in Baptism and the
sprinkling of holy water at this time
reminds us of the person's Baptism and
initiation into the community of faith.
The Placing of the Pall
on the casket
serves to remind us of the baptismal garment
of the deceased. It is a sign of the
Christian dignity of the person and also
signifies that all are equal in the eyes of
the Lord. It is a large white cloth that has
symbols of the light of Christ and Baptism
stitched on it.
Family members have the
choice of placing the pall on the casket
themselves, thus
taking part in the liturgy for the deceased,
or allowing the funeral director or
pallbearers to place it. If the family
chooses to do this the funeral director will
assist.
The Paschal Candle
reminds us of Christ's
undying presence among us, of His victory
over sin and death and of our share in that
victory by virtue of our baptism. The
Paschal candle reminds us of the Easter
vigil, the night when we await the Lord's
resurrection and when new light for the
living and the dead is kindled.
Incense
is used during the final
commendation at the Funeral Mass as a sign
of honor to the body of the deceased, which
through baptism became the temple of the
Holy Spirit. It is also a sign of our
prayers for the deceased rising to our Lord
and as a symbol of farewell.
The Cross
that is usually placed in or
on the casket is a reminder that we, as
Christians, were marked with the cross in
baptism and through Jesus' suffering on the
cross, we are brought to his resurrection.
White Vestments,
the color used through the
Easter season of the Church are worn by the
presiding priest as an expression of
Christian joy.
The Readings, Prayers and
Psalms proclaim to
us the promise of eternal life, convey the
hope of being gathered together again in
God's kingdom and support the witness of
Christian life. Family members also have the
choice of choosing the readings and the
psalm appropriate for their loved one.
During the Funeral Mass a total of three
readings are recommended. Family or friends
of the deceased are welcome to proclaim the
first two readings while the priest or
deacon proclaims the Gospel.
The first
reading is drawn from the Hebrew Scriptures,
the Old Testament. Click here for a list of
selected Old Testament Readings.
After the first
reading, the cantor leads the congregation
in singing the Responsorial Psalm. Click
here for a list of selected
Responsorial
Psalms.
After the
Responsorial Psalm, the second reading is
drawn from the New Testament. Click here
for a list of selected
New Testament
Readings.
Just before the
Gospel, the congregation stands and sings
the Alleluia. The priest or deacon then
reads the selected Gospel reading. Family
members are also welcome to choose the
Gospel reading or they may leave the choice
to the priest or deacon. Click here for a
list of selected
Gospel Readings.
The Homily
at a Catholic Mass is meant to link the
scripture passages which have been
proclaimed to our reason for gathering -
commending our loved one to the Risen Lord.
The presider of the Mass will ordinarily
personalize the homily, keeping in mind the
personal reflections you have shared with
us. Prior to meeting with a member of the
Ministry of Consolation, you will be asked
to reflect on two questions: 1) What would
you most want others to know about the
deceased, and, 2) What was the deceased’s
relationship to his or her faith. The
answers to these questions will be most
helpful in personalizing the homily.
The Prayers of the Faithful
are a series of prayers which are said at
the conclusion of the Liturgy of the Word.
These prayers are the way in which the
faithful respond to the Word of God and
offer prayers for the salvation of all. The
prayers are introduced by the celebrating
priest, then a deacon, a family member, or
friend of the deceased reads the prayers and
the people respond with “Lord, hear our
prayer.” Click here for a list of selected
Prayers of the Faithful.
The Presentation of the Gifts
is the ritual in which bread, wine and water
are brought to the altar. Family members or
friends of the deceased are invited to serve
as gift bearers and in so doing serve as a
reminder to all present of our commitment to
become what we will soon share – the Body
and Blood of Christ.
The Final
Commendation at the end of Mass
expresses our farewell and shows honor to
one of its members, a temple of the Holy
Spirit, before the body is buried. At this
time the celebrant incenses the deceased, as
together we entrust our loved one to our
Lord and profess that we will share the
resurrection with our loved one on the last
day.
The Rite of
Committal is the final act of the
community of faith in caring for the body of
its deceased member. It marks the physical
separation of the deceased from the
mourners. It may be celebrated at the grave,
at a cemetery chapel, or a crematorium.
Through this simple rite the Church assists
us as we complete our care of the deceased
and lay the body to rest. This rite also
expresses our continued link as the
Community of Saints.
A Eulogy
is not part of the funeral liturgy. If the
family desires a eulogy, it is fitting to be
shared at the wake, the cemetery, or the
luncheon that usually follows.
Music
Music is
essential to the funeral rites. It allows
the community to express convictions and
feelings that words alone may not convey.
Music has the power to console and uplift
the mourners and strengthen the unit of the
assembly in faith and love.
In the funeral
liturgy there are four opportunities for
hymns: The Gathering Song, the Song at the
Presentation of the Gifts, the Song at
Communion and the Recessional Song at the
end of the Mass.
The music chosen
for the funeral liturgy should be chosen
with great care. It should support, console
and uplift the mourners and help create in
them the spirit of peace of the risen Lord.
A
soloist/pianist is prepared to do the music
for the Funeral liturgy. If the family has
their own musician whom they would like to
have participate in the liturgy we would
welcome their participation. Please let us
know ahead of time.
With this in
mind we present to the bereaved family
a
list of Song Selections that are appropriate
to a funeral Mass. The texts of these songs
offer consolation to the mourners and
express the Paschal mystery of the Lord's
suffering, death and triumph over death, and
relate to the readings from Scripture.
Special requests for a song that is not on
the list will be considered providing that
it is an appropriate Christian song for a
funeral Mass and that we have the music for
it. Please note that the words to the Songs
can be found in our Companion Missal.
Cremation
Although
cremation is now permitted by the Church,
the Church clearly prefers that the body of
the deceased be present for the Funeral Mass
since the presence of the body better
expresses the main beliefs that the Church
affirms during the funeral ritual. At times,
when circumstances recommend that the
cremation of the body occur before the
funeral mass, the cremated remains should be
present.
The cremated
remains should be buried in a grave or
entombed in a mausoleum or columbarium.
The practice of scattering cremated remains
or keeping them in the home of a relative or
friend of the deceased is not considered the
reverent disposition that the Church
requires. After the Funeral Mass, the
cremated remains should be reverently taken
to the place of burial or entombment in a
timely manner.
A
Final Word
We hope these
explanations of the rites and symbols of the
Funeral Mass and other information are of
help to
you during the preparation of your loved
one’s funeral.
If we at St.
Pascal can offer any further assistance,
please do not hesitate to contact us.
May our merciful
Lord grant you consolation in your sorrow.
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