Funerals 

If you are the next of kin to someone who has died, you will be responsible for their funeral arrangements. Once you have contacted the funeral director of your choice you can begin to make arrangements with the church. 

The funeral director will negotiate the time and date on your behalf, but you will need to discuss the other arrangements with the priest. 

There are three main parts to the Catholic Funeral.

 

1. The Vigil  

Main funeral rites can be preceded by a vigil the night before. This option provides an opportunity for family and friends to gather in prayer and usually takes place in church the evening before the main funeral liturgy. It is a short ceremony which involves the blessing of the coffin at the church door, the placing of religious symbols on the coffin, reading the from sacred scripture and prayers of intercession. The family and friends may wish to spend some time in prayer when the formal prayers led by the priest have been completed.

 

The central part of the funeral rites can take the form of a Service or a Mass. In a funeral for a practising Catholic there is normally a presumption that Mass will be celebrated. Both rites contain variable elements which you will need to discuss with the priest. 

The committal can take the form of burial or cremation. It is to be noted that the ancient tradition of burying the bodies of the deceased is strongly recommended to the faithful as a symbolic expression of our faith in the resurrection of the body. Where cremation is chosen the ashes should be buried in a casket. The Catholic rites do not envision scattering of ashes.