Catholic Funerals at St. Mary Our Lady of Grace

In order to be buried from St. Mary’s, one should be a registered parishioner, although exceptions will be made for a parent, child, or sibling. We encourage our parishioners to receive a Christian burial, as we seek to emulate our Lord and Savior who prayed for those who crucified him and who promised heaven to the repentant thief.

Christian burial ordinarily takes place in the context of the Eucharist. However, a family may choose the Rite of Christian Burial outside of Mass if the deceased person did not regularly choose to receive the sacraments. Please contact the Parish Office to make arrangements.

Catholic funeral rites have three distinct movements: the Vigil for the Deceased; the Funeral Mass or Liturgy; and the Committal Rite. Each flows into the other, with the Mass being the principal celebration. The bereaved should consult the friars or pastoral staff before they make any liturgical arrangements with the funeral director. This provides the opportunity to have a clear understanding of the meaning and significance of the funeral rites and allows family members to participate in the rites themselves.

THE CATHOLIC FUNERAL RITES

VIGIL SERVICE (WAKE).
The Vigil Service is a Scripture or Evening Prayer Service, usually conducted in the funeral home or in the parish church on the eve of the Funeral Mass. Here, the faithful keep watch with the family, remembering the deceased person’s life, and finding strength in Christ’s presence. It is here, and not at the Funeral Mass, that a eulogy, or series of eulogies, is most appropriate.

FUNERAL MASS.
Church tradition has always been the celebration of the Mass with the body present. The Funeral Mass includes the reception of the body, the Liturgy of the Word, .the Liturgy of the Eucharist, and the Final Commendation and Farewell. Funeral Masses may now be celebrated in the presence of cremated remains.

RITE OF COMMITTAL.
The Rite of Committal is the conclusion of the funeral rites and may be celebrated beside the open grave or place of internment.

CREMATION.
The Church strongly prefers that the body of the deceased be present for the funeral rites since its presence clearly recalls the life and death of the person. It is the Church’s recommendation that if cremation of the body is to take place, it occurs immediately following the Funeral Mass. However, if cremation takes place immediately after death, the Church now permits the cremated remains to be brought into church for the celebration of the funeral liturgy, including the Eucharist.

FINAL DISPOSITION OF THE BODY OR CREMATED REMAINS.
Following the celebration of the Funeral Mass, the earthly remains of the deceased, or the cremated remains, are to be reverently buried in a grave or entombed in a mausoleum. The practice of scattering cremated remains on the sea, from the air, on the ground, or of keeping them in the home of a friend or relative, is not the reverent disposition that the Church requires.