Whosoever

believes in me

shall not die

but have

everlasting life.

top of page

Catholic Funeral Rites

The funeral rites of the Catholic Church celebrate the passage of one of its members from this life to the New Life promised by Christ. While Christians grieve, we do so with faith in the resurrection of Christ and belief in the promise that we were created by God to be happy with God in eternity.

Catholic funeral rites have three main components:

• the Vigil,

• the Funeral Liturgy,

• and the Rite of Committal.

X The Vigil
At the vigil (sometimes also called the "wake") the Christian community keeps prayerful watch with the family in the presence of the body. This takes place at the funeral home a day or two prior to the funeral liturgy. The prayer service at the vigil can be both varied and flexible. The Word of God is proclaimed as source of hope in the face of darkness and death and prayers of intercession may be offered. The vigil service is also the appropriate time for remembering the deceased in words and song. Some people find it comforting to have photographs of the deceased around the vigil room. Vigils may be led by lay people as well as ordained ministers.

X The Funeral Liturgy
The funeral liturgy, the principal celebration of the Christian funeral, is a celebration of the Eucharist. It takes place in the parish church. In the mass, the community gathers with the family to give praise and thanks to God for Christ's victory over sin and death and to seek strength in the proclamation of the Paschal Mystery - the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We give thanks for the life of the deceased and commend them to God's tender mercy and compassion. For pastoral reasons, the funeral liturgy may be a Liturgy of the Word. In such cases, it may be held in the chapel of the funeral home.

X The Rite of Committal
The rite of committal is a simple but important rite of prayer which takes place at the burial site. It serves to accompany the body of the deceased to its final resting place and helps the mourners to release their loved one to God.

Through these ritual stages, we bring hope and consolation to the living, commend the dead to God, and give thanks for the gift of life, all through the proclamation of the Paschal Mystery.

Eternal Rest,

grant unto them, O Lord

and let perpetual light

shine upon them.










 

�

top of page

Importance of the Body

The care taken to prepare the body of the deceased for burial reflects our Christian belief in eternal life and the resurrection of the body. The prayers and gestures of the funeral rites also affirm the Church's reverence for the body as a temple of the Holy Spirit. The long-standing practice of burying the body in a grave or tomb in memory of Jesus, whose own body was placed in a tomb, continues to be encouraged as a sign of Christian faith.

The Catholic Church strongly recommends that the body be present at the funeral rites. The presence of the body in the casket is a powerful symbol for the mourners. It assists people in facing and accepting death and helps them to begin the grieving process.

X Cremation: Catholics are free to choose cremation unless it is for a reason contrary to Church teaching. If cremation is desired, it should take place after the funeral rites. In this way, the body can be honoured by the family and the community and the bereaved allowed the proper time to mourn. Death is the last passage of life and should not be hidden or negated by cremation prior to the funeral rites. When cremation takes place before the funeral, the urn should be present at the funeral liturgy where it is afforded the same reverence as the casket. The ashes are the body of the deceased in a changed form; we honour them as we do the body.

X Internment: Ideally, internment should occur immediately after the liturgy. If cremation is to take place after the funeral then burial will have to be at a later time, but it should not be delayed too long. The Catholic Church requires reverent disposition of the cremated remains. They should not be scattered nor kept indefinitely in the home, but properly interred as the body would be, or placed in a columbarium.

 

here is a link to the

St. John Cemetery web page

For just as in Adam all die,

 so too in Christ

shall all be brought to life.

�

top of page

Symbols of Christian Burial

In the face of death our religious tradition speaks to us and for us through the symbols of colour, spoken words, gestures and faith-signs:

X Flowers
Flowers are important to Catholic worship. They should enhance but not obscure the focal points of the liturgy: the altar and the ambo (lectern). Flower arrangements do not need to be expensive and elaborate to add dignity to the celebration. During the season of Lent, families are encouraged to honour the liturgical season by foregoing (or at least minimizing) flowers. When the urn is present a small arrangement or a few roses are appropriate on the table with the urn.

X The Assembly
We gather together and form an assembly of the people of God. We stand together to support each other in times of mourning and of joy. Those gathered, represent the Body of Christ on earth, caring and comforting one another and offering our prayers to our God.

X The Body
Because Catholics hold such deep respect for the body, the Casket or Urn has a prominent place in the funeral rites. The casket is brought to the front of the Church in the entrance procession accompanied by Pall Bearers (usually six). In the case of cremation, the family is encouraged to carry the urn in the entrance procession and place it on the table with the Pascal Candle nearby at the beginning of the liturgy. Just as the casket is taken out during the recessional, the urn may be carried out at the end as well.

X The Vestments
The vestments that the priest wears during the liturgy are white - the colour of life and hope. Though we mourn the death of those who have died, we look beyond their death to their faith in the God of life and hope.

X The Pall
We cover the casket with a pall, a large white covering which recalls the baptismal garments which clothe us in Christ. As the person enters into a New Life in the resurrection of Jesus, we proclaim that the greatest thing that can be said about the deceased person is that she or he is a sister or brother of Christ, a member of the Church. It is a sign of hope, of resurrection, and of the equality of all persons before God. The family drapes the pall over the casket when the priest greets the body at the beginning of the funeral liturgy. The pall bearers or the funeral directors may perform this task if the family prefers not to do so.

X The Paschal Candle
Standing before the deceased in the Church during the funeral mass is the Paschal candle reminding us that Christ is our light. It was first lit in the Church in the darkness of early Easter as the sign to us that Christ, our Risen Lord shatters the darkness of death. This symbol of the light of Christ stands before the assembly reminding us that in darkness there is light, in despair there is hope, and in death there is New Life.

X Scripture
During the liturgy, we hear the treasured words of scripture which speak what we believe to be true for us and for the deceased. We will die. We will mourn. We will hurt. But we will be comforted and all who are faithful to the Lord will be raised up as the glorious children of God. Our destiny is eternal life.

X Eucharist
During the funeral liturgy, we share the Eucharist, the Body and Blood of Christ, the bread of life and cup of salvation.

X Water
We sprinkle the casket with Holy water and recall our Baptism. In this wondrous event, our loved one was declared to be a child of the Living God. Touched with immortality through that ceremony, his or her destiny is to live forever - the birthright of a child of God.

X Incense
At the final commendation, we surround the casket with the sweet smell of incense and rising smoke. This is an ancient symbol of our prayer rising to God and we incense the casket as a sign of our respect for the body as the temple of the Holy Spirit. In life and in death, our bodies are holy.

X Hospitality
We continue to show our support for the family at the Reception. By sharing food and drink with the family and by expressing our condolences, we manifest our care and love for them. At St. John Chrysostom Parish, the Catholic Women's League hosts funeral receptions in the Parish Centre. The reception takes place after the internment unless the location of the internment is at a great distance or needs to take place at a later time.

The LORD is my shepherd;

I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie down

in green pastures:

he leadeth me beside

 the still waters.
 

He restoreth my soul:

he leadeth me in the

paths of righteousness

for his name's sake.
 

Yea, though I walk

through the valley of the

shadow of death,

I will fear no evil:

for thou art with me;

thy rod and thy staff

they comfort me.

 

Thou preparest

a table before me

in the presence of

mine enemies:

thou anointest

my head with oil;

my cup runneth over.

 

Surely goodness and mercy

 shall follow me

all the days of my life:

and I will dwell in the

house of the LORD

 for ever.

�

top of page

Links to Pop-up Pages 2 - 6
 

If you would like to download a document that contains all the information on all 6 funeral pages, please click below or right click to "save target as"

PLEASE NOTE: Recent revisions to the music section and the new section on eulogies have not yet been incorporated into this PDF document. Please see those respective web pages instead.