Arranging a funeral at St John Payne
If someone close to you has died, please contact the parish office or ask your funeral director to contact the parish.
It is best to do this before confirming a date or time for the funeral. The parish will need to check the availability of the church and Fr Alex, and will help you understand what is possible.
You do not need to know all the answers before getting in touch. A first conversation is enough.
What is a Catholic funeral?
A Catholic funeral is the prayer of the Church for someone who has died.
It is not a sacrament, but it is one of the Church’s most important acts of prayer and pastoral care. The Church prays for the person who has died, commends them to the mercy of God, and comforts those who mourn with the hope of the resurrection.
A Catholic funeral is not simply a celebration of a person’s life, although we rightly give thanks for the good they have done and for the love they have shared. Above all, it is an act of Christian prayer.
In the face of death, the Church prays with sorrow, but not without hope.
The funeral Mass
For a Catholic, the funeral will often take the form of a Funeral Mass, sometimes called a Requiem Mass.
At the Funeral Mass, the Church offers the sacrifice of the Mass for the person who has died. We pray that God will forgive their sins, purify them, and bring them to the fullness of life with Him.
The funeral Mass is a sacred act of worship. For that reason, it follows the liturgy of the Church. Fr Alex will help the family choose appropriate readings, prayers and sacred music.
A funeral liturgy without Mass
A Catholic funeral can also be celebrated as a funeral liturgy without Mass.
This may be appropriate in some circumstances, for example if many of those attending are not Catholic, if the family’s circumstances suggest it, or if the funeral is taking place at a cemetery or crematorium chapel.
A funeral liturgy without Mass is still a Catholic funeral. It includes Scripture, prayer, commendation of the person who has died, and Christian hope in the resurrection.
Fr Alex will help you understand which form is most appropriate.
Readings at a Catholic funeral
The readings at a Catholic funeral are taken from the Bible.
This is true whether the funeral is celebrated as a Funeral Mass or as a funeral liturgy without Mass. The readings are not just reflective texts. They are the Word of God, proclaimed to give hope, comfort and faith in the face of death.
The family may be able to help choose the readings. Fr Alex will guide you and suggest suitable options.
Poems, literary readings or personal texts should not replace the Scripture readings in the funeral liturgy. If you would like to include a poem or personal reading, it may be better placed at the reception, at home, or at another suitable time.
Families often wish to include a few words of remembrance about the person who has died. Such matters will be discussed with Fr Alex when preparing the service.
Music at a Catholic funeral
Music at a Catholic funeral is part of the Church’s prayer.
For this reason, music during the funeral liturgy must be suitable for Catholic worship.
Fr Alex will guide you on suitable music for the funeral.
At the cemetery or crematorium
A Catholic funeral may also include prayers at the cemetery or crematorium.
The committal is the final act of entrusting the body of the person who has died to God. It may take place at a graveside, in a cemetery chapel, at a crematorium, or in another suitable place.
The Catholic Church prefers burial, because it expresses our faith in the resurrection of the body and shows reverence for the body of the person who has died. However, cremation is allowed, provided it is not chosen for reasons contrary to the Christian faith.
If cremation is chosen, the ashes should be treated with the same reverence we give to the body. They should be buried or placed in a sacred place, such as a cemetery or columbarium.
A columbarium is a place where urns containing ashes are reverently placed in individual niches. It may be in a cemetery, church, or another place set aside for this purpose.
Ashes should not be scattered, divided between family members, kept permanently at home, or incorporated into jewellery, ornaments or other objects.
If you are unsure what to do, please speak to Fr Alex before making arrangements.
If the person had not been coming to church
Families sometimes worry that they should not ask for a Catholic funeral because the person who died had not been coming to Mass regularly.
Please do not make that decision alone.
Speak to Fr Alex and explain the situation honestly. The Church’s care for the dead and for those who mourn is pastoral, prayerful and merciful. The parish will help you understand what is possible and appropriate.
What the parish will help with
The parish can help you think through the Catholic funeral liturgy, including:
- Whether the funeral should be a Funeral Mass or a funeral liturgy without Mass
- Possible dates and times
- Readings from Scripture
- Suitable hymns and sacred music
- Prayers for the person who has died
- Arrangements with the funeral director
- Prayers at the cemetery or crematorium, if needed
You do not need to organise this alone.
How to ask about a funeral
To ask about a funeral at St John Payne, please contact the parish office or ask your funeral director to contact the parish.
Please do this before confirming the date and time.
If you are recently bereaved and unsure what to do next, simply get in touch. The parish will help you take the next step.