About a Catholic Funeral

The message of Christianity is one of hope. Christianity teaches us that through Christ's death and resurrection, we too may have new life and have the chance to be with God for eternity in heaven.

For Christians therefore, death is but a doorway to everlasting life. When Cardinal Hume told the present abbot of Ampleforth that he was dying, the response was: "Congratulations ! That's brilliant news. I wish I was coming with you."

The Catholic Funeral commends the dead to God, brings to our immediate awareness our faith in the resurrection of the dead, and provide hope, support and consolation for the bereaved.

The Catholic Funeral Rites have three principle times of prayer for the family and community: the Vigil, the Funeral Liturgy, and the Rite of Committal.

The Vigil may be celebrated in the funeral home or in the Church. When it is celebrated in the Church, we try to arrange a time well enough before the funeral liturgy so that the funeral itself does not become too lengthy or feel repetitious.

Usually the visitation time before the Vigil is the first opportunity the community at large has to come and offer condolences, lend support, and share in telling the stories of the life events of the one who has died. Such remembering is an important part of the grieving process. Time is set aside during such visitation for prayer together as a community to support the bereaved and to pray on behalf of the one who has died.

The Word of God is the central prayer of the Vigil. The format of the Vigil is usually Scripture readings, intercessions, the Our Father, concluding prayers and blessings. Depending on where and when the Vigil occurs, adaptations to this basic format are made.

The funeral liturgy is the community’s central liturgical celebration for the deceased. The community gathers with the family and friends of the deceased to take heart from the Word of God, to give thanks and praise to God for Christ’s victory over sin and death, and to be nourished in the reception of Holy Communion. The participants in the funeral liturgy have a foretaste of the heavenly banquet that awaits them.

The symbols and symbolic actions of the funeral liturgy are:

• The welcoming of the body into the Church - calls to mind the welcome into the Church which first occurred at Baptism.
• The sprinkling with holy water - reminds us of the saving waters of Baptism.
• The Easter candle - sign of Christ’s presence and his victory over sin and death.
• The funeral pall - draping the white cloth over the casket signifies the white garment all Christians received at their Baptisms. It is a sign of Christian dignity.
• The presence of the Christian community - by their prayer and song they bring support and consolation and give witness to our hope in the resurrection.
• The proclamation of the Word of God - reveals God’s loving presence; the Word gives strength, provides consolation and hope in the resurrection.
• The Eucharistic sacrifice - the thanking for, the offering of and the sharing in the Body and Blood of Christ is a foretaste of the eternal banquet of Heaven.
• Words of Remembrance - this is optional; it is a time for family or friends to give witness to the Christian life that the deceased had lived; it is different from a eulogy.
• The final commendation - this last act of farewell acknowledges the reality of separation and affirms that the community and the deceased share the same destiny, that is, resurrection on the last day.
• Blessing with incense - the incensation of the body or cremated remains signifies respect and honor for the body. The rising incense is a sign of the community’s prayers for the deceased rising to God.

The Rite of Committal is the final act of the community in caring for the body of its deceased member. This prayer is all about bringing the earthly remains of our loved one to his/her final place of rest. This rite may be celebrated at the grave, tomb, or crematorium.

The Rite of Committal is composed of Scripture, a prayer over the place of committal, intercessions, the Lord’s Prayer, concluding prayer and a prayer over the people.

A gesture or sign of leave-taking - often the sprinkling with holy water - concludes the rite. This final time of prayer is important and needs to be celebrated so that we may have the courage and energy to say our final good-byes to the bodily presence of our loved ones, believing that their spiritual presence is always with us.

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