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However, at the Mass, the Scriptures are read from introduction, and they remain there until after the ano ther g ift. The Lord himse lf gives us his
THE FUNERAL the Lectionary and n ot from sheets of paper. priest's concluding prayer. The Intercessions come Body and Blood as He gave his life upon the
LITURGY ! The readings before the Gospel may be read by after the period of silence after the Homily. Cross for us. The Lord who knows de ath first
family members, friends or lectors from the parish. hand, comes to the members of the family,
If the family chooses not to read, members of the Liturg y of the Euch arist friend s and all prese nt to be with them in this
Reception of the Body in the Church parish wh o are regu lar read ers are available to Procession of G ifts: From the beginning of the time of sorrow and also to give them
Rite of Recep tion: exercise this ministry. A priest or deacon proclaims Church, people brought from their homes the bread consolation and strength. Because Jesus died
The priest greets the family and welcomes the the Gospel. A requirement for readers is that the and wine to be used in the celebration of the for us, He can ask us to trust and offer him our
body of the deceased by recalling that on the person be a Catholic and has the ability to read Eucharist, as well as food for the poor. In a pain and sorrow, as well as the good times we
day of ba ptism the person was welcom ed into well so as to be understood by the congregation. sym bolic way, m em bers o f the family bring forth enjoyed with our loved on e. In the Eu charist,
the Church and given new life in Christ. The Respon sorial Psalm and Gospe l Acclama tion: to the priest at the altar the bread and wine to be we offer this dear soul to God, the Father of our
priest remin ds all tha t we h ave gathered to These are sung by the cantor or choir, with the used in the Funeral Mass. In this way they Lord Jesus Christ, who is the creator and author
surround our deceased brother/sister with the people joining in the refrain. symbolize their offering to the Lord of themselves of all life.
Church’s prayer and commend him/her to the Hom ily: The homily relates the experience of and the wh ole assembly. In addition, the people’s ! Members of the Catholic Church come
mercy of God. death to the paschal my stery o f our Lord’s d eath gifts, which symbolize themselves, are transformed forw ard in procession to the Lo rd’s altar to
and resurrection and to the promise of eternal life. by the power of the Holy Spirit into the Body and receive Communion. Communion may be
Funera l Pall: As a sign of the new life of In order that the homily may be personal, the Blood of Christ, and then given back to them by given under both k inds.
bap tism, the cask et is cov ered with the Pa ll, family may provide to the priest pertinent God for their spiritual nourishment and ! Family m emb ers and friends who are
which is a large white cloth that symbolizes our information about the life of their family member transform ation into the liken ess of C hrist. ministers of Comm union in their parishes may
baptism, when we were clothed with the so that he may include an expression of praise and ! Two or three family members or friends may wish to assist in th is min istry. Arrangem ents
garment of salvation. gratitude to God for the gift of a Christian life and bring the container of bread and the pitcher of wine should be discu ssed befo rehand with the parish
! As the casket is brought into the Church, such other virtues or strengths apparent in the from the gift table to the priest. priest.
family members may place the pall over the deceased’s life or in facing death. The ho mily also ! Immediately following the Intercessions, the
casket before the priest begins the rite of affirms God’s compassionate love and offers hope people go to the back of the church to get the Final Comm endation
reception. and consolation to those who mourn. con tainers of bread and wine. Th ey bring them to Signs of Farew ell: The Fune ral Liturgy is
Use of H oly W ater: If holy water will not be Intercessions: The petitions are the only part of the priest who stands near or at the altar. After the filled with signs of baptism and new life. When
used at the conclu sion of the Ma ss, the priest the L iturgy that m ay be com posed locally. M ode ls priest has received all the gifts, he bows to the the body was brought into the church, it was
now sprinkles the b ody with ho ly water as a and samples of the intentions are contained in the bearers. They bow to the p riest and then retu rn to placed near the paschal candle, which is a
further symbol of baptism. Book of Readings and in the Ritual Book for their seats. sym bol o f the R esurrected Christ. The can dle
Entrance Procession: The priest and assisting the Order of Christian Funerals. They can be Eucha ristic Prayer: The central element and was blessed at the Easter Vig il and is used at all
ministers precede the coffin and the m ourners rewritten or adapted; nevertheless, there are action of the Mass is the Prayer of Thanksgiving baptisms and funerals. It is at this point that the
into the church. During the procession a psalm, guid elines for the ir structu re. Th e inten tions are to which is offered to God the Father. This prayer body m ay be sp rinkled w ith holy w ater as a
song, or responsory is sung. be brief, in the form of petitions, and are for the sums up the praise of all the Church and all present reminder of the new life given in baptism,
deceased, the family and all mourners, the church, for God’s love and action through Jesus. In a Fune which marked the deceased for eternal life.
Liturgy of the Word and the needs of the world. They always include ral Mass, in addition to our thanks for creation and Then, as a sign of respect for the body of the
Read ings: In consultation with the priest, the the response of the assembly after each petition. salvation, we offer thanks for God’s action in the deceased, which was created by God and
family may select the scripture readings. One or ! The family may wish to assist in the preparation life of the deceased. anointed as a temple of the Holy Spirit, the
two readings p reced e the G ospel. A p salm is of the intentions. ! All present unite themselves spiritually with the body may be incensed.
sung after the first re ading. The G ospel is ! One or several persons m ay read the intentions. pray er of th e Ch urch , which the priest proclaim s in Prayer : Finally the priest commends the
alway s the last reading and is read by the p riest The priest invites all to pray before the intentions the nam e of all present and in the nam e of C hrist. deceased to God and prays that He will accept
or deacon. O nly readings from the Bible are are read and concludes them with a prayer. The ! All join in singin g the eu charistic acclam ations. him/her and embrace our loved one in the arms
used . [A loose-leaf book containing all the perso n or perso ns reading the intention s com e to Com mun ion Rite: Having offered themselves and of everlasting life. We also give thanks to God
readings is available to the family for selecting the microphone before the priest begins the their love to God in thanksgiving for His many for His goodness revealed in the life of the
the readings.] gifts, includin g the life of the dec eased , the pe ople departed.
of God are called to the Lord’s Table to receive
! An nou nceme nts: A me mb er of th e fam ily tradition of worship, for they make the assembly an Comm union in the Body of Christ. The choir may
may wish to invite all present to a reception; audience rather than participants in the sacred either sing alone or instrumental music may be Archdiocese of Kingston
otherwise, a note with the details may be
given to the priest so that he may extend an
action.
Respon sorial Psalm:
used to accom pany the prep aration of g ifts.
Prelude and postlude: Before the service begins,
THE ORDER OF
invitation to those present on behalf of the This is sung by a cantor, with the people singing the organ ist may play qu ietly to set an ap propriate CHRISTIAN
family. the refrain. It should not be replaced by a hymn. atmosphere of prayer and reverence for the
Acclam ations: celebration. Similarly, a postlude may be played FUNERALS
Conc luding Rite Particular efforts should b e ma de to sing these after the service is over, until all the people have
Procession: As we carried the body of our acclama tions d uring the Mass. Th ey are: left.
loved on e into the ch urch , so no w w e leav e to ! Gospel Acclamation: Sung before the reading of Appro ved H ymn s: The General Instruction of the
proceed to the p lace of burial. the gospel; Mass no w requires that the bishops of each coun try PLANNING
! All join in the concluding hymn as the ! Holy, holy, holy Lord, comes at the end of the
members of the family and friends join in the preface of the Eucharistic Prayer. It is desirable for
or region approve the texts that are sung at the
Liturgy of the Church. Care should be exercised
THE FUNERAL
procession. the priest to sing the preface; that hymns be now chosen from approved LITURGY
! If the pall was placed on the coffin by the ! Memorial Acclamation: After the narrative of hym nals. Publish ed by the Liturgical C om mission.
family, they or others may remove it at the institution in the eucharistic prayer;
entrance to the church. ! Great A men: Con cluding and sealing the praise
Note: Eulogy~ A fam ily member or friend may offered in the Eucharistic Prayer.
speak w ords of rem em bran ce at the Vigil The Lo rd's Prayer:
Service, the cemetery or the reception. The “Our Father” is the communion hymn of the
Som etimes the family arranges a Christian people. Normally, it is recited by the
“remembrance service” at the Funeral Home peo ple. It m ay be sun g, bu t always by all prese nt,
prior to the M ass. and never as a solo.
Other ch ants:
Music Chants and hymns are sung at other points during
It is appropriate for fam ily mem bers to sug gest the M ass. Th ese inc lude several which the ch oir
hymns to be used at the Funeral Mass. The may sing alone:
following guidelines are offered. The hymns ! Prep aration of the gifts
cho sen m ust be proper C atholic liturgical ! Lamb of God
“And if I go and prepare a place for you,
hymns, songs or chants and must be contained ! Communion procession hymn
I will come again and will take you to myself,
in the hymn books that are in use in the Church. ! Music during Final Comm endation so that where I am, there you may be also.”
The selection of hymns also depends on the (The peo ple should join in singing the refrain). John 14.3
repertory of the musicians, and whether the Procession H ymn s:
hymn is known by them and the congregation. In the Mass there are four processions which may
Every effort should be made to include them, be accompanied by community singing:
but n o gu arantee can be ma de. A ll hym ns are to ! entrance
be sung by the congregation. Hymn s are chosen ! prep aration of gifts
on th e basis of en abling the assem bly to ! communion
participate in the liturg y, to praise an d w orship ! recessional
God and to enter into the paschal mystery The two mo st important hymns are the Entrance
which we celebrate in the Funeral Liturgy and and Communion hymns. These properly are to be
indeed in every Liturgy of the Church. Hymns sung by all the people. The Entrance hymn is the
that were sentimental favorites do not assem bly’s first corpo rate act of w orship. It is Archdiocese of Kingston
necessarily make for good liturgy and usually a hymn of praise. The Communion hymn January 2005
participation . Solos are not part of the Cath olic should help all to deepen the m eaning of
