Funeral
Liturgy
A funeral is
a time of sadness and mourning.
But for Christians it is also
a time to rejoice, for Jesus
Christ has won a great victory
over death and made it possible
for us to pass through to new
and eternal life. This is our
unwavering hope.
In a Catholic
funeral we pray that our deceased
brother or sister be admitted
into paradise. We also derive
strength from family and friends
and lend our support to others
in what can be a very difficult
time.
We hope that
you find this information of
some help when arranging the
funeral of your loved one.
Music
One of the first decisions to
make is if you would like music
at the funeral. It is the responsibility
of the family to contact an
organist and singer /choir.
Try to do this as soon as possible.
Hymns
The organist will help you choose
your preferred hymns. There
are normally 5 hymns chosen
for the Mass – Entrance,
Offertory, Communion, Communion
Reflection and Recessional.
The Responsorial Psalm may also
be sung.
It is important
to remember that the funeral
Mass is a sacred ceremony and
therefore non-liturgical ‘songs’
are not appropriate. Organ music
can provide a quiet and prayerful
atmosphere at the beginning
of the service, when mourners
are likely to be upset and in
need of a calming atmosphere.
Readings
We encourage family members
and friends to take part in
the Liturgy of the Word by reading
the First Reading, the Responsorial
Psalm (if not sung), the Second
Reading, Gospel Acclamation
and Prayers of the Faithful.
A selection of readings and
Prayers of the Faithful are
provided in this booklet.
The First Reading
is always taken from the Old
Testament and the Second Reading
from the New Testament. We encourage
those who are reading to make
themselves familiar with the
text and have no problems with
pronunciation.
Prayers
of the Faithful
The Prayers of the Faithful
are always introduced by the
priest. Four or five prayers,
read by family members or friends,
then follow. One or more people
may read these. The priest concludes
the Prayers of the Faithful.
Offertory
Procession
Family members or friends bring
the gifts for the Offertory
of the Mass to the altar. Normally,
four gifts are brought –
the chalice, the altar bread,
the water and the wine, but
it may be reduced to two if
you so wish.
If
you need further assistance,
please do not hesitate to contact
us.
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