Funeral Planning
If you are reading this, it is probably because you have recently lost a family member or friend, in which case, we offer our sincere sympathy to you, your family and friends at this difficult time of your bereavement.
This webpage has been designed to provide you with all the information you need ahead of meeting with Fr Benedict to plan a funeral.
Funeral Arrangements
You may have already made some of the arrangements for the funeral of your loved one such as choosing the funeral directors and, in liaison with the priest, arranging the date and time of the funeral. Your priest will help you with any of the ongoing arrangements that may need to be made.
The Prayer Vigil
This vigil is held in church and is usually called the reception of the body. The evening before the funeral the body of your loved one is brought into church with readings from scripture and prayers. The mood of the vigil is one of quiet support and prayer. This service is optional and lasts approximately 15 minutes.
The Funeral
This is the main service. This would ordinarily be a Requiem Mass, but on occasions it may be that a funeral service is more suitable. You can discuss which option is most appropriate when you meet with Fr Benedict.
The family and friends of the deceased can be involved, if they wish to and feel able to, in a variety of ways:
- Pall bearers. Some families wish to have members of family and friends to carry the coffin into church and then carry it out of church at the end of the funeral.
- Reading the scripture readings and prayers of intercession (bidding prayers).
- A eulogy speaking briefly in memory of the deceased – the eulogy must always be written in full and should not be more than 500 words.
The funeral will usually take place in church but, if it is not a Mass, it may sometimes be appropriate to hold it in the chapel of the cemetery or crematorium immediately before the committal.
Order of Service
Many families choose to have an order of service printed for the funeral. This helps the congregation to follow the funeral, but it is also a good memorial for people to take away with them so they can remember the deceased and pray for them.
Some families choose to have the order of service printed by the funeral directors, others by a different printing company and other families produce their own. Whichever option you choose, your priest will help you.
Readings
The readings at the funeral are always taken from the Holy Bible. There are set readings for a funeral, or occasionally a family may choose from the options below.
There is a first reading, usually from the Old Testament, a Psalm and a Gospel. A second reading from the New Testament can also be chosen.
The priest or the deacon will read the Gospel, family and friends can read the other readings.
Holy Mass
You are very welcome at St Peter’s. Even if you haven’t been to Mass for a while, you are welcome to come whenever you wish to attend. We have Masses most days of the week. Mass times can be found on our website on our newsletter.
The Committal
The funeral concludes with a service at the graveside or at the crematorium. This is the final act of saying farewell and commending your loved one to Almighty God.
For cremations, while 30 minutes are allocated for every service in the Crematorium Chapel, a Catholic Committal most certainly does not need that amount of time as the Liturgy allocated for the Committal, after a service is church, is very short.
A piece of music on entry of the Crematorium chapel and again on exit of the Crematorium chapel is all that is necessary.
You are welcome to engage a Civil Celebrant or ask a member of the family to MC should you wish to use the time allocated in a non-liturgical way. In such an event, we would complete the Rite of Committal at the church.
Music
Music is important in the funeral and carefully selected hymns and music will enhance the funeral, bring back memories of a loved one and provide consolation for you, your family and friends.
Some music, or words, which may not be appropriate for use in church may be better suited to the crematorium or the cemetery. The only music we have in church are hymns or classical music.
Please see our Hymns page for a selection of Hymns that we recommend.
The Reception Afterwards
In preparing for a funeral there are many things to put in place and consider. Preparing the Prayer, the Liturgy, the Funeral services, is only one of them. Also important is the reception afterwards. Often this will be the better place for the display of photos and the use of popular music that was particularly liked by the person who has died, or is associated with them by others. These things can encourage conversation and the sharing of personal memories of the one who has died, in ways that are especially helpful to the bereaved, to family and friends. In the funeral services we particularly focus on the things of faith, and how these give us hope for ourselves and for the person who has died even in the midst of the pain of bereavement.
Burial of Ashes
If your loved one is being cremated, Catholic practice is that the ashes should be buried in a cemetery and should not be separated or scattered. This is because the Church teaches that the body remains sacred, even after death, and should be treated with the same dignity and reverence as a body awaiting burial. Keeping the ashes together and burying them also gives family and friends a clear place to visit, pray, and remember their loved one.
The priest will be very happy to bless the burial plot and lead a burial service for the ashes.