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Funerals
“In the face of death, the Church confidently proclaims
that God has created each person for eternal life, and that Jesus, the
Son of God, by his death and resurrection, has broken the chains of sin
and death that bound humanity…At the funeral rites, especially at the
celebration of the eucharistic sacrifice, the Christian community
affirms and expresses the union of the Church on earth with the Church
in heaven in the one great communion of saints. … While proclaiming the
Gospel of Jesus Christ and witnessing to Christian hope in the
resurrection, the funeral rites also recall to all who take part in them
God’s mercy and judgment and meet the human need to turn always to God
in times of crisis.”
—
From the “General Introduction” to the
Order of Christian Funerals
In the current custom of our area and time, many of the
preparations for a funeral service are arranged through the funeral
director chosen by the family. The director will discuss various
options, including the day and the time of the funeral, with the family
and then confirm these with the parish office. The staff of Saint Luke
Parish stands ready to assist the family in whatever way possible in the
planning of a funeral for a loved one, not only when a death has already
occurred but in advance planning as well.
Day and Time
of Funeral
Funerals may be celebrated on most days of the year.
(Although it is not the custom in this part of the world, most people
would be surprised to learn that the Church’s calendar permits the
celebration of a funeral Mass even on the Sundays of that season
called “Ordinary Time”!) However, please note that there are certain
holy days and feasts on which funeral Masses are not permitted by
liturgical law. The practical consideration that most often governs the
choice of day and time is the schedule of the various cemeteries and
their workers. Your funeral director will inquire about your
preferences for day and time and then discuss these with our parish
office on your behalf.
The Vigil or
“Wake”
Most often, the family of the deceased chooses to have a
time when they will receive visitors on the day before the funeral. The
Catholic funeral ritual provides several options for a prayer service
which takes place at some point during these calling hours, typically in
the evening. This service is usually led by a priest or a deacon, but
may also be led by a lay person who has been trained for this ministry.
Choice of
Readings and Music
The Catholic funeral service proclaims the hope and
consolation that is given to us by the death and resurrection of Jesus
Christ. This central focus must therefore govern the choices that are
made in planning the elements of the funeral service. The readings that
are used at a Catholic funeral must come from the Bible; if there is a
particular non-biblical reading that the family would like to
use, it finds its appropriate place either during the gathering at the
funeral home or incorporated into the Remarks of Remembrance (see
"Eulogy," below).
The Church’s directives for the music used at funerals
reflects the same concern: “The texts of the songs chosen for a
particular celebration should express the paschal mystery of the Lord’s
suffering, death, and triumph over death and should be related to the
readings from Scripture.” If the family wishes a certain non-religious
“favorite song” of the deceased to be incorporated into the funeral, it
likewise should be used during the gathering at the funeral home or as a
part of the Remarks of Remembrance. Our Music Ministry Staff will be happy to assist
the family in making these choices, and in arranging for soloists and/or
other instrumentalists as the family desires.
Remarks of
Remembrance ("Eulogy")
Although the directives of the Church prohibit a eulogy
to substitute for the homily that is preached on the readings, these
same directives provide that “a member or friend of the family may speak
in remembrance of the deceased before the final commendation” of the
funeral service. If the family of the deceased wishes for such a
remembrance to take place at the funeral, it is the policy of Saint
Luke Parish that only ONE individual be chosen to speak during the
church service. The individual chosen should be one who is capable
of speaking clearly and in a composed manner. Indeed, the Church
expresses its concern on this point when its directives state that
family and friends “should not be asked to assume any role that their
grief or sense of loss may make too burdensome.”
Furthermore, the text of the eulogy is to be WRITTEN out
beforehand and not to be delivered in an extemporaneous or
“off-the-cuff” manner, so that the eulogy shall be limited to a maximum
duration of five to seven minutes. The content must reflect the
sacredness of the Catholic funeral by avoiding any material of
inappropriate humor or content that is disrespectful of the deceased.
Indeed, the ideal held up by the Catholic Church is that a eulogy
should focus more on giving God praise and thanksgiving for the
blessings that He bestowed upon the deceased during this life, and
less on a recitation of what the deceased person accomplished.
If the family wishes to provide an opportunity for others
to speak in remembrance of the deceased, this may be done most
appropriately during the gathering at the funeral home or even at the
gathering which typically follows the burial.
Cremation
The text which follows is quoted from “Reflections on the
Body, Cremation, and Catholic Funeral Rites” published by the National
Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on the Liturgy in 1997.
“The long-standing practice of burying the body of the
deceased in a grave or tomb in imitation of the burial of Jesus’ body
continues to be encouraged as a sign of Christian faith. However, owing
to contemporary cultural interaction, the practice of cremation has
become part of Catholic practice in the United States and other parts of
the Western world. …Although cremation is now permitted, it does not
enjoy the same value as burial of the body. Catholic teaching continues
to stress the preference for burial or entombment of the body of the
deceased. Likewise, the Church clearly prefers and urges that the body
of the deceased be present for its funeral rites, since the presence of
the body better expresses the values that the Church affirms in its
rites…the presence of the body most clearly brings to mind the life and
death of the person.
“…However, when circumstances prevent the presence of
the body at the funeral liturgy, …it is appropriate that the cremated
remains of the body be present for the full course of the funeral rites,
including the Vigil for the Deceased [the “wake”], the Funeral Liturgy,
and the Rite of Committal. The funeral liturgy should always be
celebrated in a church. The cremated remains of the body should then be
reverently buried or entombed in a cemetery or mausoleum….The
practices of scattering cremated remains on the sea, from the air, or on
the ground or keeping cremated remains in the home of a relative or
friend of the deceased are not the reverent disposition that the Church
requires.”
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