Funeral Planning Aids
Catholic Funeral Rites and Customs
The Rites
The Catholic Church offers distinct occasions for common prayer
at the time of funerals. The Order of Christian Funerals contains
three clusters of rites:
- The Vigil
- The Funeral Liturgy, and Final Commendation and Farewell
- The Rite of Committal
The funeral rites also provide other opportunities for prayer. These
related rites and prayers are: Prayers after Death, Gathering
in the Presence of the Body, and Transfer of the Body to the
Church or to the Place of Committal.
The funeral rites, like all the Church's liturgy, are primarily
worship of God. Care needs to be taken to preserve the
integrity of the Church's prayer, and of the homily, while remaining
personable and sensitive to those present.
The rites for adults are different from the rites for children
and infants. These rites apply to baptized Catholics and
also catechumens, unbaptized infants, and in special circumstances,
those who are not Catholic.
By family preference or pastoral concern, any single rite may
be used as the sole funeral rite. Consultation with your priest
or parish minister can help determine your funeral selections.
The Vigil
This rite, presided over by a priest, deacon, or prepared layperson
(or member of the family) generally consists of: Introductory
Rite, Liturgy of the Word, Intercessory Prayer and Concluding
Rite, and Blessing. Also strongly recommended is the Office
of the Dead from the Liturgy of the Hours.
The rosary, or a portion of it, may be included as part of the
petitions within this rite, or preferably, it may be recited
by the family at a time other than the Vigil. If the Vigil
is celebrated in church, it begins with the Rite of Reception.
The Funeral Liturgy
The Funeral Liturgy (Mass) is the community's principal celebration.
Generally, the Funeral Liturgy comprises: The Rite of Reception
(unless already celebrated as part of the Vigil), the Liturgy
of the Word, The Liturgy of the Eucharist, and the Final Commendation
and Farewell.
The priest presides at Mass, assisted by a full complement of
liturgical ministers -- lectors, cantor, musicians, servers,
etc. These ministerial roles are performed by trained parish
ministers or by members of the deceased's family or friends,
if properly prepared.
The Funeral Liturgy Outside of Mass
In special circumstances, such as the absence of the body of
the deceased (because of cremation, burial elsewhere, etc.) or
if those participating are not Catholic, the Funeral Liturgy
outside of Mass may be a more suitable form of celebration. In
this case the Rite of Committal at the cemetery may take place
at a later time.
A deacon or layperson may preside at a Funeral Liturgy outside
of Mass which may be chosen for a variety of reasons.
The Rite of Committal
The Rite of Committal, the final of the funeral rites, may be
presided over by priest, deacon, or layperson. It is best
celebrated in close proximity to the actual burial place -- grave,
crypt, or niche.
This rite is intentionally brief. However, if this is the sole
funeral rite, it may be expanded to include the Rite of Final
Commendation or additional music and readings, a brief homily,
and petitions.
First Preference: Funeral rites with the body present
The Church holds up as normative the rites contained in its
ritual book The Order of Christian Funerals. Normally
these rites include: a Vigil Service celebrated in the funeral
home or the church, the Funeral Liturgy itself, and the Rite
of Committal of the body at the cemetery. Despite
being valuable expressions of faith, the rosary and other traditions
are not to replace the Vigil for the Deceased. However,
it would be acceptable that these devotions are celebrated in
addition to the Vigil Service.
It is the Church's preference that the body of the deceased
be present for the Vigil Service. In addition, the body
of the deceased should be brought to the local parish church
for the Funeral Mass. Funeral Masses are not permitted
in funeral homes or cemetery chapels.
The Rite of Committal of the body normally takes place at the
cemetery, although the committal can be done at the end of the
Funeral Mass. The body of the deceasedis to be interred,
either in the ground or in a crypt, following the Funeral Mass.
Second Preference: Funeral rites with the body present and
cremation afterwards
When the choice has been made to cremate a body, it is recommended
that the cremation take place after the Funeral Liturgy. In
this case, the Vigil for the Deceased and related rites and prayers
should be celebrated in the presence of the body. Then,
the body should be brought to the parish church for the Funeral
Liturgy with cremation taking place afterwards.
After cremation of the body, the cremated remains should be
committed for burial according to the Order of Christian Funerals. The
cremated remains should be treated with the same respect given
to the human body. Therefore, they should be buried in
a grave or entombed in a mausoleum or columbarium (but not a
common/communal columbarium). This is the reverent disposition
of the cremated remains that the Church requires.
Third Preference: Funeral rites with the cremated remains present
While the Church has granted the celebration of the Funeral
Liturgy, including Mass, in the presence of the cremated remains
of the deceased, it is considered the least desirable of the
options. The Church strongly prefers that the body of the
deceased be present for its funeral rites since the presence
of the body clearly recalls the life and death of the person.
Realizing that the practice of cremation is being chosen for
a variety of reasons, including economy and practicality, often
cremation has occurred before the funeral rites. When this does happen,
the Vigil for the deceased may be celebrated in the presence of
the cremated remains. Likewise, the cremated remains may
be brought to church for the celebration of the Funeral Liturgy.
(320) 363-3434 | info@saintjohnsabbeycemetery.org
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