RAINBOWS GALWAY DIOCESAN PASTORAL CENTRE CONSOLE

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1 RAINBOWS A 12 week peer support programme to assist children, adolescents and adults who are grieving a death, separation or other painful transition in their family. The service is offered for free. Contact Sr. Margaret Curry on / or check out for more information GALWAY DIOCESAN PASTORAL CENTRE Bereavement Counselling/Support is available in the Galway Diocesan Pastoral Centre. Please contact Sr. Cait O Leary for an appointment on Check out for more info. CONSOLE Console provides counselling, therapy and support to individuals, couples, families and children who have been bereaved by suicide. Phone or visit their centre at 9A Elm Park, Renmore. Check out for more information. Contact your Parish office for information about a possible bereavement support group in your area.

2 Dear Friend, Our sincerest sympathy to you and your family at this sad time. It is very difficult to lose someone we love. It can be one of the most painful experiences we will ever have to suffer. The Bishop, Priests and faithful from the Diocese of Galway, Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora wish to support and console you in your loss. The intentions of you and your family are in all our prayers during this very difficult time. While nothing can remove the pain of loss, it is undeniable that a funeral liturgy offers us all a clear message of hope. This booklet is an aid for you to plan the funeral liturgy of your deceased loved one, while also gaining an insight as to what to expect on your journey through grief. It contains an overview of the Catholic Funeral Rites, the meaning of death for those who follow Christ and how we celebrate a funeral in our diocese. We also include guidelines for funerals, selection of Scripture readings, sample prayers of the faithful, a liturgy worksheet and music suggestions. How to cope when you are bereaved. When you have lost someone you love, you will be overwhelmed with sadness and grief. Listed below is a number of coping techniques to see you through the difficult days. Allow the grieving process to run its course.your grief will express itself in many different forms...anger, guilt, shock, denial, sadness and acceptance...these are all steps on the journey through grief. Grief has no time limit, patience is the key. Don t bottle up your feelings. If you need to cry, let the tears flow. If you need to talk, find a listening ear. It is necessary and healthy to express your grief. Accept the help and support of family and friends, when it is offered. Look for it, when you need it. Over the coming days, weeks, months and years ahead, it is the hope of this diocese that we can be here to help you through the various stages of grief and provide you with all the emotional and faith support you need. Your Family of Faith xx Take the time to heal.do what ever you need to do to come to terms with your pain eat healthy, exercise, read, pray, and breathe. When you are ready, join a bereavement support group. The support and strength from sharing with other bereaved people will make your pain easier to bear.

3 Entrance Hymn Penitential rite Opening prayer Gathering Rite Liturgy of the Word The Church encourages you to be as fully involved as you can in the planning of your loved one s funeral liturgy. In this liturgy, we celebrate the life of faith of your loved one, we commend him/her to the Lord, we support and pray for all those who mourn, and we seek strength in the promise of the Lord that he will not forget us through this very difficult time. First Reading Responsorial Psalm Second Reading Gospel Acclamation Gospel Prayers of the Faithful Offertory Hymn Eucharistic Prayer Our Father Communion Communion Hymn Communion Reflection Commendation prayers Liturgy of the Eucharist Communion Rite Rite of Commendation By the nature of the Church's funeral rites, they are public and have certain formalities, traditions and customs. The prayer and ritual of the Christian funeral are approached as one prayer, like a procession that moves from the deathbed to the cemetery. Within this procession, there are three specific moments that the Christian community marks: Reception of the Body at the Church The Funeral Mass and Final Commendation Rite of Committal

4 Reception of your deceased loved one at the Church The parish community seeks to comfort and support you and your family through very sad time, as you move from the privacy of your grief to the public celebration of your loved ones funeral. The reception of the body at the church is the first stage of the public rite of the Christian community. It is general practice that this takes place on the evening before the funeral Mass. This allows the parting from family and friends to take place in stages. Since the church is where the community of faith comes to worship, the Rite of Reception of the Body takes place at the church. Samples for use in preparing the Prayer of the Faithful 1. We pray for N who has died: - may God now welcome him/her into his heavenly home of eternal happiness and peace. 2. We pray for the relatives and friends of N, especially his/her wife/ husband N, his/her sons and daughters.., his/her brothers and sisters.., the members of his/her extended family, his/her neighbours and friends: - may God fill their hearts with his comfort and consolation. 3. We pray for all those whose lives are dedicated to caring for the sick and in particular we pray for the doctors, nurses, chaplain and staff of. Hospital Nursing Home who cared for N during his/ her illness / old age: - may God reward their goodness and kindness. The entrance procession led by the priest, the coffin and the chief mourners may be accompanied by music or song, which helps to gather this community as one, in grief, and in your hope of resurrection. In baptism, this person was presented to the community and welcomed at the door of the church. Now the family and all who accompany the body of the deceased person are greeted at the door of the church. In baptism, this person was washed clean in the saving waters. Now the body of the deceased is sprinkled with holy water. 4. We pray in thanksgiving for our neighbours and friends who have been so kind to us during this time of sadness: - may God reward their kindness and bless their homes with happiness and peace. 5. As we pray that N will find eternal peace, we pray that the peace that is in heaven will touch the troubled parts of our world, our country, our parish, our homes and our hearts. 6. We pray for all who have died, especially the relatives and friends of N who have gone before him/her: - may God unite them all in the happiness and peace of his heavenly home.

5 Suggested Readings for Mass of Christian Burial Old Testament: New testament: Gospel Readings Job 19: Wisdom 3:1-9 Wisdom 4:7-15 Isaiah 25:6-9 Macabees 12: Acts of the Apostles 10:34-43 St. Paul to the Romans 5:17-21 St. Paul to the Romans 6:3-9 St. Paul to the Romans 8:14-23 St. Paul to the Romans 14:7-12 St. Paul to Corinthians 15:20-28 St. Paul to Corinthians 5: Matthew 5: 1-12 Mark 15:33-39, 16:1-6 Luke 24:13-35 John 11:17-21 The Paschal Candle the Easter candle, is lighting to remind us that we are in the presence of the Risen Christ. We, who have died with him in baptism, will come to the fullness of eternal life with him. The coffin is placed near the altar. This reflects the importance of the one who has died to the gathered Christian community, the assembly. We have come to commend them, to entrust them to our God. As clothed in white on the day of their baptism, now the pall, a white cloth, covers the coffin. This is used in many parishes and it reminds us that we are all equal in the sight of God and enfolded in his mercy. We place on the coffin, symbols of our hope: A cross reminder of Christ s victory over death. A Book of the Gospels or a Bible reminder of God s faithfulness to his people. During this liturgy, we hear God s Word as an invitation to recall again our belief in Christ s victory over death, and in being gathered after death into the fullness of God s kingdom. God s word is central to our prayer at this time it holds us, the community, in remembrance of what we believe about life and about death. Then, the homily and the prayer of intercession put into words our hopes for our loved one and the needs of the bereaved and the community. Traditionally, we conclude this liturgy with a decade of the rosary, usually the first Glorious Mystery, the Resurrection.

6 The Funeral Mass and Final Commendation The Funeral Mass is the central liturgical celebration for the deceased. The community gathers together to celebrate the life and death of one of its members. By coming together, we proclaim their presence and by our actions, in word and in symbol, our central belief in the resurrection of the dead. It is by celebrating Christ s life, death and resurrection in the Eucharist that we, as the Christian community affirm our hope for all who have been baptised with Christ. Personal Mementos reflecting the life of your loved one can be brought in procession at the Reception of the Body or at the beginning of Mass. These emblems should not clash with the Christian symbols in the funeral rite. The Word of God offers us life and hope and with this booklet you will receive a selection of sacred scripture provided for the funeral mass. Secular readings cannot replace the Word of God. This selection gives us an opportunity to hear God speak to our needs, sorrows, fears and hopes as we gather to mourn your loved one. You are invited to choose two readings, one from the Old Testament and one from the New Testament and a Responsorial Psalm if it is not being sung. Preparation of Gifts: Communion: Recessional: Ag Criost an Síol I will be with you. See Us Lord About Your Altar. Lord Accept The Gifts We Offer. My God Accept My Heart This Day. All That I Am. Come Back To Me. In Bread We Bring You Lord Céad Míle Fáilte Romhat. Be Still For the Presence Of The Lord. Be Still My Soul. Whatsoever You Do. Eat This Bread. Take and Eat. Wait For The Lord. How Great Thou Art. Let us break bread together Abide with me Jesus Remember Me How Great Thou Art There is a Place On Eagle's Wing

7 Suggested Hymns for Mass of Christian Burial Entrance: All Are Welcome. Christ be Our Light Christ Be Beside Me. Be Thou My Vision. Holy God. Seek Ye First. Lord of All Hopefulness. God of Mercy and Compassion. A New Hymn of Praise. Amazing Grace Psalms: The Lord s My Shepherd. Song of a Young Prophet. Here I am Lord. I Will Never Forget You. Like the Deer that yearns Out of the Depths. On Eagles Wings. Be Not Afraid All I Ask Of You Sé an Tiarna M Aoire Yahweh I know you are near In the Prayers of the Faithful, we call upon God to comfort the bereaved and to show mercy to the deceased. A selection of prayers is also presented with this booklet. You might wish to adapt some of these and you can discuss this and the readings with the Parish priest as you prepare for the funeral mass. During the Offertory Procession, Gifts of bread and wine are offered. They are transformed to become the body and blood of Jesus Christ. These gifts may be brought to the altar by family members or by members of the wider community. At the table of the Eucharist, we share in his sacrifice, so to share in his victory over death. We are fed by God also, through the compassion and hope of the people gathered with us, and, by the homilist reflecting on the readings and offering consolation and strength. Incense is used during the funeral rite to honour the body of the deceased which through baptism has become a temple of the Holy Spirit. It is also a sign of the community s prayer for the deceased rising to the throne of God and a sign of farewell.

8 Music and Song have the power to console us and draw us together as a community. As important elements of the liturgy, they express our faith. Hymns appropriate for a funeral are recommended in this booklet. These should be chosen with the assistance of the music personnel and the Parish Priest. The Rite of Committal This is the final farewell by the family and community, whom we entrust to the tender and merciful embrace of God. The care taken to prepare the body of the deceased for burial reflects our Christian belief in the fullness of eternal life and the resurrection of the body. The prayers and gestures of the funeral rites also affirm the Church's Each Funeral Mass celebrates the life of a particular person with his or her own story and qualities. These sentiments are best included in the homily by the celebrant. Some families write out a few notes for the Priest. Please feel free to do so. reverence for the body. Normally celebrated at the grave, this is the conclusion of the funeral rites. The community acknowledges the reality of separation and commends the deceased to God. A Communion Reflection may also be read after Holy Communion. Some reflections might better express the sentiments of the family more than "the few words". The community calls on God and commends the deceased person to God. At the end of the funeral liturgy, the family and friends, and the While burial is more common in Ireland, the practice of cremation is accepted by the Catholic Church. If the body of the deceased person is to be cremated, the rite of committal takes place at the burial of ashes. We honour them as we honoured the body. They are reverently buried or entombed in a place reserved for the burial of the dead, as soon after cremation as possible. Christian community journey with their loved one to the place of commital, the place of burial.