Honoring the Dead

Guidelines for Catholic Funerals

The Mass, the memorial of Christ's Death and resurrection
is the principal celebration of the Christian funeral.

(Order of Christian Funerals, Paragraph 5)

The Catholic Funeral Rites

All too often people say, "Funerals are for the living, not the dead."   For Catholics such a statement is not complete, because the Catholic funeral rites offer us the opportunity to praise and thank God for the love ad mercy he has shown the deceased person.  It is also a time where the community of believers prays for the repose of the soul of the deceased, and offers consolation to the surviving family and friends.

The purpose of this page is to briefly explain the Catholic funeral rites.  It also offers a few simple guidelines that may help families when placed in the situation of making funeral arrangements.

"Christians celebrate the funeral rites to offer worship, praise, and thanksgiving to God for the gift of life which has been returned to God, the author of life and the hope of the just.  The Mass, the memorial of Christ's death and resurrection, is the principal celebration of the Christian funeral."

Order of Christian Funerals, paragraph 5

The core of the Order of Christian Funerals Order of Christian Funerals is the Mass.  Other rites, such as the Vigil of Rite of Committal, compliment the Funeral Liturgy or mass.   Despite this directive, many of the faithful wonder which rites should be celebrated.   The discussion is further complicated when dealing with cremation and how it fits into the schema of the Order of Christian Funerals.

Catholic Funerals

The Catholic funeral rites highlight several important beliefs and values that the Church affirms in its funeral practices.  They include:

-The sacredness of all human life;

-The dignity of the person;

-The resurrection of Jesus Christ, the first born of the dead, and of His faithful followers;

-The occasion to comfort and embrace human mortality;

-The respect that is to be shown for the bodies of the dead; 

Listed below is a "hierarchy" of sorts for Catholic funerals.  It lists in order of preference those practices which are deemed acceptable by the Catholic Church for funeral liturgies:

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 deceased is 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 Mass.

Prayer for the Deceased