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Catholic
Funerals
by Rev. Thomas B. Iwanowski
Nothing affects us more
profoundly than our relationships. We have been shaped by our relationships
with our parents, grandparents, siblings, friends, aunts, uncles, other
relatives, fellow students, teachers, employers, co-workers, neighbors and
acquaintances.
As people of faith, we also have
been shaped by our relationships with the members of our parish, other
believers, priests, deacons, religious brothers, religious sisters,
religious educators and others who minister in the Church. We have been most affected by our
relationship with Jesus Christ who has made us part of his Church and sons
and daughters of our Father in heaven.
Relationships form us. They shape
us. They affect our heart and our spirit. They mold our personality and our
view of life. They create ties of affection and love. They form friendships
and connections that bind us together.
When someone we love dies,
someone with whom we have had a human relationship, “we believe that all
the ties of friendship and affection which knit us as one throughout our
lives do not unravel with death.” (Order
of Christian Funerals,71)
We hold that belief because of our faith in Jesus Christ, who
through his death and resurrection conquered the power of sin and death. We
believe death is not the end. We believe that life continues, that
relationships continue. We affirm that each time we proclaim the profession
of faith at Mass. “We look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of
the world to come.”
Because of our belief that life
continues, that relationships continue, we believe that our
responsibilities to a loved one do not end in death. As Catholics we
fulfill our obligations to the deceased, with whom we remain connected, by
lovingly following the rituals of the Church associated with death. In
doing so, we proclaim that our relationship with the deceased has not ended
and we proclaim our faith in Jesus Christ, who said “I am the resurrection
and the life. Whoever believes in me shall live even in death and whoever
lives and believes in me shall never die.” (John 11:25-26)
The Order of Christian Funerals
The ceremonies and prayers of the
Catholic Church connected with death are found in the Order of Christian Funerals (OCF),
the ritual book used by priests and deacons in conducting funeral services.
A Catholic funeral ordinarily involves three occasions of prayer that take
place over the course of two or three days. In celebrating these moments of
prayer we celebrate our faith in Christ, we express our love for the person
who has died, and we remain faithful to a human relationship that has
touched our life. As we shared part of our loved one’s journey through
life, we now share the steps of his or her final journey to God.
The ceremonies and prayers that
comprise the funeral ritual are also ways that the Church shows its concern
for one of its members. We became part of the family of the Church at our baptism
and that relationship is not broken even by death.
The three principal parts of the
Catholic funeral liturgy are the vigil service (commonly called the wake service),
the church service, and finally the committal service. In these times of
prayer, the Christian community accompanies the body of the deceased from
the place of the wake, ordinarily the funeral home, to the church building,
and then to his/her final resting place. The community of the Church that
has accompanied the person in his or her journey through life now walks
with him or her from this life to the next.
Let us describe each of these
parts.
I.
The Vigil
Service
The vigil service takes place
between the time of death and the time of the church service. The vigil usually
takes place in the funeral home during the time of the wake or viewing.
In the vigil service, those who
have been affected by the life of the deceased gather to pray for him or
her. This is usually the first time since death when those related to the
deceased gather together. “At the vigil the Christian community keeps watch
with the family in prayer to the God of mercy and finds strength in
Christ’s presence…In this time of loss the family and community turn to
God’s word as the source of faith and hope, as light and life in the face
of darkness and death. Consoled by the redeeming word of God and by the
abiding presence of Christ and his Spirit, the assembly at the vigil calls
upon the Father of mercy to receive the deceased into the kingdom of light
and peace.” (OCF, 56)
The vigil service consists of an
opening rite, the reading of God’s word, a homily or reflection, prayers of
intercession and a blessing. This service is normally led by a priest or
deacon, but if no priest or deacon is available, the vigil service may be
conducted by a layperson, such as a pastoral associate from the parish. (OCF, 14)
The vigil begins with Introductory
Rites that gather those present into a community of faith ready to hear
God’s word and ready to pray for the deceased. The introductory rites
include a greeting of those present, an optional song, an invitation to
silent prayer for the deceased and a spoken prayer by the leader.
The Liturgy of the Word follows
these brief introductory rites. "The proclamation of the word of God
is the high point and central focus of the vigil” (OCF, 59) A reading from the Scriptures is proclaimed either by
the leader or another person. A responsorial psalm follows this first
reading. This psalm may be spoken or sung. A Gospel reading is then
proclaimed. Following these readings, a brief homily or reflection is then
given on the readings “to help those present find strength and hope in
God's saving word." (OCF,
61)
Prayers
of Intercession follow during which “the community calls upon God to
comfort the mourners and to show mercy to the deceased." (OCF, 62) This part of the vigil service includes a litany, which
may be sung, the Lord’s Prayer and a concluding prayer by the leader. At
this point, someone may speak in remembrance of the deceased, or this may
be done after the vigil service or at another time. The hours of the wake
at the funeral home provide many opportunities for such reminiscences.
The
vigil service ends with a brief Concluding Rite that includes a blessing
that varies on whether it is being given by an ordained minister or by a
layperson. This blessing may include the signing of the forehead of the
deceased with the sign of the cross. The vigil service may then conclude
with a song, a few moments of silent prayer or both.
Besides providing a setting for
the vigil service, a wake gives those who have suffered a loss the
opportunity to face the death of their loved one, to adjust to a new
reality, to find comfort and support in the company of others, to share
stories and remembrances of the deceased and to express their sorrow and
grief.
II.
The Church
Service
The
second of the three parts that comprise a Catholic funeral takes place in
the church building. This is the place “where the community of faith
assembles for worship. The church is the place where the Christian life is
begotten in baptism, nourished in the Eucharist, and where the community
gathers to commend one of its deceased members to the Father.” (OCF, 131) The funeral Mass
is the preferred service in the church and “the central celebration of the
Christian community for the deceased.” (OCF,
128)
At
a funeral Mass, the casket is received at the church, sprinkled with holy
water, and covered with a white cloth. These signs recall baptism, the
sacrament that brought the deceased into a relationship with the Christian
community. Afterwards, readings from the Scriptures and the Liturgy of the
Eucharist take place as they normally do at a Sunday Mass. At the end of
the funeral Mass the deceased is commended to God’s mercy and the community
expresses its farewell to someone who will no longer gather at its altar
table, but whom we pray will be granted a place at God’s heavenly table.
The
funeral Mass begins with Introductory Rites that include the reception of
the body. The priest goes to the doors of the church where he greets the
mourners and receives the body of the deceased. At this time, the casket is
sprinkled with holy water and covered with a white pall. These rites recall
the sacrament of baptism by which the deceased was raised to a new
relationship with God, given the promise of eternal life and made part of
God’s Church.
After
the rites at the doors of the church, the casket is brought forward and
placed near the altar. The people follow the casket and take their places
in the assembly. During the procession all join in singing an appropriate
hymn or psalm. At the conclusion of the song, the opening prayer is then
prayed by the priest and all then sit for the Liturgy of the Word.
The
Liturgy of the Word may follow
the model of either a Sunday Mass or a weekday Mass. In other words,
"depending on pastoral circumstances, there can be either one or two
readings before the Gospel reading." (OCF, 138) The
first reading and second reading should be proclaimed by a reader from the
parish, by a family member or friend capable of exercising this ministry.
The
responsorial psalm that follows the first reading and the acclamation
before the Gospel should be sung by a member of the music ministry. After
the Gospel is proclaimed by either a priest or a deacon, the homily
follows. “A brief homily based on the readings is always given after the Gospel
reading at the funeral liturgy ...
but there is never to be a eulogy. Attentive to the grief of those
present, the homilist should dwell on God's compassionate love and on the
paschal mystery of the Lord, as proclaimed in the Scripture readings."
(OCF, 27) The general intercessions
conclude the Liturgy of the Word. These intercessions may be proclaimed by
a deacon, a reader or another person capable of announcing the intentions
for which the community is being called to pray.
The
Liturgy of the Eucharist then begins and follows the pattern of Sunday
Mass. “The community, having been spiritually renewed at the table of God's
word, turns for spiritual nourishment to the table of the Eucharist...In
partaking of the body of Christ, all are given a foretaste of eternal life
in Christ and are united with Christ, with each other, and with all the
faithful, living and dead." (OCF,
143)
The
Liturgy of the Eucharist includes the presentation of the gifts, the eucharistic
prayer and the distribution of holy Communion. At the start of the Liturgy
of the Eucharist, the gifts of bread and wine may be brought to the altar
by relatives and friends of the deceased. It is not appropriate to present
items associated with the deceased.
The
Final Commendation, which follows the distribution of holy Communion,
brings the funeral Mass to its completion. "The final commendation is
a final farewell by the members of the community, an act of respect for one
of their members, whom they entrust to the tender mercy and merciful
embrace of God. This act of
last farewell also acknowledges the reality of separation and affirms that
the community and the deceased, baptized into one Body, share the same
destiny, resurrection on the last day." (OCF, 146)
The
final commendation, which the priest leads as he stands near the casket,
includes an invitation to prayer, a period of silence, the incensing of the
casket, the song of farewell, and the prayer of commendation.
Before
this final commendation begins, a family member or friend may speak in
remembrance of the deceased. (OCF, 170) However, such words of remembrance
are strictly optional, and in some places, they are not permitted at this
time. Such words of remembrance are not a eulogy, but rather a short
prayerful recollection of some aspect of the Christian life of the
deceased.
The
Procession to the Place of Committal follows the final commendation. The
deacon or priest says “In peace, let us take our brother/sister to his/her
place of rest.” At this point the closing song begins and the priest and
other ministers lead the casket from the church as the congregation
follows. The mourners then accompany the body to its place of final
disposition where the rite of committal is celebrated.
On
a day when a funeral Mass cannot be celebrated, such as on a holy day of obligation,
Holy Thursday, Good Friday or Holy Saturday, the body of the deceased is
still brought to the church building. Instead of a Mass another type of
church service is celebrated. This service, which centers on God’s word, is
similar to a funeral Mass, but it does not include the Liturgy of the
Eucharist. In other words, it includes the introductory rites, the Liturgy
of the Word, the final commendation and the procession as described above.
When this type of service is celebrated, a memorial Mass may and should be
celebrated for the deceased at a later date.
III.
The Committal
Service
Following
the service in the church, the body is brought to its final resting place.
Those related to the deceased continue to accompany him or her on this
third part of the final journey. The body is transported to the cemetery or
the mausoleum and there is committed to its place of rest. In a Catholic
cemetery the body is also committed into the care of the wider Church
community that is responsible for the cemetery and for the bodies of the
deceased placed within it.
"The
rite of committal, the conclusion of the funeral rites, is the final act of
the community of faith in caring for the body of its deceased member."
(OCF, 204) This service is
usually led by the priest who has celebrated the funeral Mass. In his
absence it may also be led by a deacon, a religious brother or sister, a
pastoral minister in the parish, by a friend or family member or by the
funeral director. (OCF, 215) The
person leading the service should offer the prayers designated by the
Church for the rite of committal.
The
committal service consists of a short reading from Scripture, a prayer
committing the deceased to his or her final resting place and commending
the deceased to God in the sure and certain hope of the resurrection, a
series of intercessions for the deceased, the Lord’s Prayer and a blessing.
The
committal service begins with an Invitation to prayer. Those gathered are invited to pray
that the deceased may be welcomed to heaven and that one day they may be
reunited with the deceased in the presence of Jesus Christ. This invitation
is followed by a Scripture Verse taken from the New Testament.
A
Prayer over the Place of Committal follows. This prayer varies, usually
depending upon whether the place of committal is a Catholic or non-Catholic
cemetery. The Words of Committal then follow as the body is committed to
the ground or its place of interment. The actual committal may take place
at this time, or at the conclusion of the rite. Intercessions for the
deceased now follow. These intercessions may be read by someone other than
the priest, deacon or layperson leading the service. After these
intercessions, the Lord’s Prayer is prayed. This is followed by a
Concluding Prayer and a Prayer over the People. This final prayer varies
depending upon whether it is offered by a priest, deacon or by a layperson.
After
the prayer over the people, a
song may bring the service to an end and a gesture of leave-taking may take
place. For example, the mourners may place flowers or soil on the casket.
Burial, Entombment and Cremation
The final disposition of the body
of a deceased Catholic may take place in one of three ways. The body may be
buried in the ground, entombed in a mausoleum, or may be cremated and the
human remains then interred. While cremation is permitted, the Church
clearly prefers that bodies of its members be buried or entombed. “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…” (Reflections
on the Body, Cremation, and Catholic Funeral Rites, Bishops’ Committee on
the Liturgy, 1997)
If
cremation is chosen as the final disposition of the body, the cremation
should take place after the church service and not before since Catholic
funeral rites are designed to be celebrated in the presence of the body.
After the vigil service and the church service, the body is taken to the
crematorium and there a committal service may be celebrated. When the
cremated remains or “ashes” are returned to the family, these cremated
remains are to be buried in a cemetery or entombed in a mausoleum. The committal
service may be repeated at this time. Our
reverence for the cremated human remains does not allow them to be
scattered, separated or disposed of in any other way.
In
other words, if the body of the deceased is to be cremated, the vigil service
and the church service take place as described earlier. The family and
mourners gather in the presence of the body for the vigil service. At the
appropriate time, the body is brought to the church for the church service.
After this service, the body is brought to the crematorium.
If
the mourners accompany the body to the crematorium, a rite of committal is
celebrated there. The mourners then depart, and the body of the deceased is
cremated at a later time. Some days later, the cremated remains of the
deceased are returned to the family. These cremated remains are then buried
in a cemetery or entombed in a mausoleum. When this occurs, the family
members and friends gather once more, now to commit the cremated human
remains to their final resting place.
IV.
Direct
Cremation
For particular reasons, the body
of the deceased is sometimes cremated before the preferred funeral rites of
the Church may be celebrated. This is called direct or immediate cremation.
This might occur, for instance, when a person dies a great distance from
home. The family might decide to have the body cremated since shipping
cremated remains is not as difficult as transporting a human body. Direct
or immediate cremation may also be chosen for health reasons, if the person
were to die of an infectious disease. It could also be chosen if prolonged
severe weather, or some natural disaster, would not allow the usual funeral
rituals to take place.
Services with the Cremated Remains
Since 1997, the Church’s Funeral
Rites may be celebrated in the presence of the cremated human remains. It
is the Church’s preference that its funeral rites take place in the
presence of the body of the deceased and not in the presence of the
cremated remains, “since the presence of the human body better expresses
the values that the Church affirms in its rites.” (Reflections on the Body, Cremation, and Catholic Funeral Rites,
Committee on the Liturgy, NCCB, 1997) Assurance must be given that cremated
remains will be properly buried or entombed. If a family indicates that the
remains are to be scattered or disposed of in an inappropriate way, the
cremated remains may not be present in the church for a funeral liturgy.
Scattering is contrary to Catholic teaching that says the cremated human
remains should be handled with the same reverence with which we handle a
human body.
If the cremated remains are to be
present during the funeral rites, those rites take place in the following
manner. If there is a wake and the cremated remains have already been
returned to the family, the wake should take place in the presence of the
cremated remains and the vigil service should be celebrated. “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
Funeral Liturgy, and the Rite of Committal.” (Reflections on the Body, Cremation, and Catholic Funeral Rites,
Committee on the Liturgy, NCCB, 1997)
The church service takes place in
the following way. The urn containing the cremated remains may be carried
into the church by a member of the family. The priest, waiting at the doors
of the church, greets the people, and then he sprinkles the cremated
remains with holy water. Following that, the priest and ministers proceed
to the altar. The bearer with the cremated remains walks behind them, and
then the mourners follow.
The urn with the cremated remains
is placed on a stand in the position normally occupied by the casket. The
Easter candle may be placed near the cremated remains. This stand is not intended
for mementos or other memorabilia, any more than a casket in church is a
place for such items. The cremated remains are not covered with any type of
pall or white cloth. (OCF Appendix,
434) When all have taken their places, the priest goes to the presidential
chair where he prays the opening prayer of the funeral liturgy. The rest of
the church service takes place as usual.
It should be noted that the
cremated remains should be in a dignified urn, and not in the cardboard
box, or the plastic or metal shipping container in which they were returned
from the crematory. (OCF Appendix,
417) “Care must be taken that all is carried out with due decorum.” (OCF Appendix, 427) If the cremated
remains are not carried into the church during the service, they are placed
on the stand by the Easter Candle before the service begins.
The rite of committal follows the
church service. The Church strongly recommends that a memorial plaque or
stone recording the name of the deceased be placed where the cremated
remains are buried or entombed. (OCF
Appendix, 417)
A Difference
The celebration of the funeral
rites in the presence of the cremated remains should look different and
feel different from those celebrated in the presence of a human body. The prayers are slightly altered
and the signs and symbols are somewhat different. There should be no attempt to make a funeral liturgy in
the presence of the cremated remains look like one celebrated in the
presence of a human body. For
example, the urn with the cremated remains should not be placed in a casket
or in some type of receptacle that brings a casket to mind. The urn should not be carried on a
device that allows for the use of pall bearers. An urn with cremated remains is not a casket requiring a
carriage or the use of pall bearers.
The urn should not be covered with any type of miniature funeral
pall.
Again, it should be stressed that
the funeral rites taking place in the presence of the cremated human
remains address a special or extraordinary situation. The Church wishes to show its compassion
to families dealing with immediate or direct cremation, but at the same
time the Church wishes to recommend that its funeral rites take place in
their usual sequence, and in the presence of the body of the deceased.
Reverence
Catholics celebrate the funeral
rituals with care and reverence.
We do so because we value the body of the deceased. For this was a “body once washed in
baptism, anointed with the oil of salvation and fed with the bread of
life. This is the body whose
hands clothed the poor and embraced the sorrowing.” (Reflections on the Body, Cremation, and Catholic Funeral Rites,
Bishops’ Committee on the Liturgy, 1997) This is also the body of a person with whom we still
have a relationship – the body of a parent, a sibling, a relative, a
friend, a neighbor, a fellow Christian. Out of reverence for the human body, for our
relationship with the deceased and for Jesus Christ the Lord of Life who
conquered death, we celebrate these funeral rituals. For we are a people who believe
that relationships, and the obligations and bonds that come with them,
continue beyond death!
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