PLANNING FUNERAL AND MEMORIAL LITURGIES The sadness of death should give way in our liturgy to the promise of resurrected life. Our celebration of a person s life should reflect our conviction that in Jesus Christ we have life beyond death. Holy Infant Catholic Church is pleased to offer its parishioners and friends the complete rites as a means of consolation for the living and grace filled assistance for the deceased. These rites, which include a funeral Mass and the possibility of a vigil in a funeral home, are most appropriately celebrated in the parish Church of the deceased, in the presence of their faith community. All remains are treated with honor; and the Church takes very seriously its responsibility to offer corporal works of mercy. Although we presently do not have a Columbarium where the cremated remains may be placed for eternity, plans are underway to build a beautiful Columbarium and Memorial garden. Please call us for further information. Committals of cremated remains at a Columbarium or Cemetery can take place at the end of a funeral service or as a separate prayer service of committal if the funeral has already taken place. Funerals are normally held Monday to Thursday at a time previously scheduled with the Pastor and Director of Liturgy & Music; and of course the church s availability.
SERVICES WE ARE ABLE TO OFFER YOU The most common form of Catholic funeral has the following elements: Funeral Mass with either the body or cremated remains present and Graveside service with burial of the body or cremated remains, or Placing of cremated remains in a Columbarium of the family s choosing. Another option is a Memorial Mass or service with no remains present. These can take place close to the time of death or at some convenient time for the gathering of friends and family. VIGIL SERVICES (The Pastor can lead if he is available to attend. Alternatively, these can be led by a family member) Prayer service with rosary (suitable for congregations of mixed faiths) Rosary alone usually five decades of the rosary. (suitable where most of the congregation are Catholic). The vigil service may be held at the funeral home, the church or at a private home.
FUNERAL MASSES (details below) Funeral Mass with body or cremated remains present. The funeral Mass is held at the Church. At the entrance to the Church/ or at the very beginning of Mass, the casket or urn with cremated remains are sprinkled with holy water and covered with a pall, a reminder of baptism. Memorial Mass (no remains present) The memorial Mass is held in church, but no remains are present. COMMITTAL PRAYER SERVICE In cases where a funeral service has already taken place we offer a simple prayer service for committal of cremated remains at the Columbarium.
OUTLINE OF A FUNERAL MASS Introductory Rites* At the entrance to the church OR after the Entrance Hymn, the remains are sprinkled with holy water and covered with a pall, a reminder of baptism. This is followed by the: Eulogy (if the family wants one, it should be respectfully brief. No longer than 5 minutes.) The Liturgy of the Word First Reading Responsorial Psalm (usually sung) Second Reading Gospel Reading Homily Prayer of the Faithful Liturgy of the Eucharist The Offertory* (Bread and wine are brought to the altar) The Eucharistic Prayer The Lord s Prayer and The Peace Communion* Final Commendation and Farewell The remains are sprinkled with holy water and honored with incense and the pall is removed (if there is a casket). Recessional Hymn (The casket and family of the deceased process out of the door of the Church led by the Presider, to the hearse. The service may continue at a cemetery for interment of a casket or at the Columbarium for committal of cremated remains. An Urn of cremated remains may be placed in the Columbarium with appropriate prayers.
Readings at Mass We encourage family members and friends to take part in the Liturgy of the Word by reading the First Reading and Second Reading and the Prayer of the Faithful. Copies of the authorized readings may be obtained when you meet with the Director of Liturgy and Music, to plan the service in detail. You may wish to think of people from your family and friends who would be willing to do a reading as follows: Read the 1st reading Read the 2nd reading Read the Prayers of the Faithful Bring forward the gifts of bread and wine
DETAILS AND OTHER CONSIDERATIONS Tributes and eulogies Normally individual tributes should be reserved for the vigil service the afternoon or evening before the day of the Funeral Mass or for a reception following. One tribute/ eulogy may be read by a family member at Mass. The duration should be no longer than 5 minutes. Displays and photographs We welcome displays of photographs and memorabilia at the entrance to the church or Chapel. A framed portrait may be displayed on an easel near the altar. Flowers We welcome flowers and wreaths as part of the funeral celebration. During Lent we do not use flowers on the altar, but they can be displayed around the casket and behind the Celebrant s chair. All these details can be discussed during the planning process, with the Director of Liturgy & Music.
MUSIC Music is an important part of ritual, and we encourage families to make full use of the Church s rich tradition and the parish s musical resources. Music for all liturgies must be approved under the direction of the Director of Music & Liturgy. Quiet background music can provide a quiet and prayerful atmosphere at the beginning of the service when mourners are likely to in need of a calming atmosphere. Music during the Mass Hymns, Psalms and Spiritual Songs During a liturgy that lasts around 60 minutes, it is good to encourage everyone present to participate in the singing. The hymns and psalms that are chosen need to be familiar to the congregation so that the singing is strong. Our hymnal contains many fine hymns from which you may wish to choose. There may be material not included in our resources that you wish to use. In this case, we will need to arrange for the music to be reproduced in the program. This may require a copyright license. In all cases, you should speak with our Director of Liturgy & Music as soon as you are able. Cantor & Choir We recommend that one of our cantors lead the singing of the Psalm and the Eucharistic music. It is also possible for our choirs to sing, or for a group of professional singers to be hired at an additional cost. Our Director of Music will be pleased to advise you on this and help with choices. Note that many of our choir members work during the day and we often cannot round them up at short notice. Recorded Music We recognize the importance of certain recorded songs. Recorded music may be proper at a vigil service or at a reception but not during Mass.
Financial considerations Funerals and Memorials are a special ministry of the Church and one where we meet families at defining moments of faith. No one will be denied the services of the Church for financial reasons. We are always grateful for the generosity of our parishioners and friends who support the Church and maintenance of the Church building and property. Donations: There is no charge for the funeral Mass. We often get inquiries from families asking if they can make a donation or contribution of some sort. Donations to the Church help with cost of the funeral, the usage of the Church property and manpower. It has been our experience that families generally make gifts to the priest and the funeral reception committee in the range of $100 $150 each. Our Altar Servers generally take time off their school work to serve at a funeral. We like to offer them a small bit of pocket money for their service, if possible. Families often give them a small stipend of $25 each. Note that there is no charge for these services at Holy Infant and we simply provide this information because we are often asked what the norm is by families. If the family so desires to make a donation, a check may be made out to Holy Infant Catholic Church with the appropriate persons name in the memo line. Our musicians are paid $100 each (to the pianist and cantor). A check may be written out directly to those individuals or to Holy Infant Catholic Church with Musician and Cantor in the memo line. This payment is usually rendered on the day of the funeral. Families in genuine financial distress may discuss this privately with the Pastor or Director of Music & Liturgy.
MUSIC FOR FUNERALS AND MEMORIAL MASSES Our Director of Liturgy & Music can help you with the selection of all music for the service. Please feel free to contact Francine Britto; Director of Liturgy and Music; Tel: 919 973 0007, or francineb@holyinfantchurch.org, for additional suggestions and planning.