Preparing Funeral Ceremony

Preparing Funeral Ceremony

(For extra information on important practical items for preparing a Eulogy or tribute speech, click *HERE* or see at the very end of this present document)

[ FUNERAL–ORDER ] :

Hereis the basic order of service for A Catholic funeral: [please delete the section in square brackets if it is not a Mass]

Entrance Hymn * (please choose suitable hymn)

Placing of Christian Symbols(can be placed from beginning or family places reminder’s of your beloved’s life at this point). (this is optional).

Invitation to Prayer (priest)

Words of Remembrance (Eulogy).Given by a family member or friend.One single Eulogy written by all the family is often the most effective. It provides a united picture of your beloved. If therearemore than one to speak, they preferably will still read parts of theone united Eulogy, for consistency and flow. The best eulogies run to about four to seven minutes in total (that is, all eulogies are completed after seven minutes, so if you have three people speaking they speak for two minutes each, or if you felt you needed seven people speaking they each would only speak for one minute. Ideally, the fewer speakers the better. Please do not invite people to speak generally, and people should not come to the funeral expecting that they can just come up and speak without discussing it and having it approved by the celebrant prior to the day of the funeral).

Opening Prayer (priest)

LITURGY OF THE WORD

FirstBible Reading: (Family or friend to read). This must be a Christian Bible reading.

Responsorial Psalm: (choose a hymn* here or Family or friend to read). This must be a religious hymn or a spoken text from the section of the Bible called the Psalms

(optional). SecondReading: (Family or friend to read). This must be a Christian Bible reading.

Gospel: (Always read by the Priest, or a Catholic Deacon). This must be a Christian Bible reading.

Homily (also known as sermon). (by the priest)

General Intercessions (Family or friend to read).

[please delete this section in the brackets if you are planning only a prayer service and not a Mass or Eucharist

LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST

Preparation of the Gifts (two members of family or friends to bring up bread and wine offerings)
Prayer over the Gifts (priest)
Communion Hymn* (or instrumental music).
Period of Silence or Thanksgiving hymn *
Prayer after Communion ]

FINAL COMMENDATION RITES (priest)

Prayer of Farewell (priest)
(At the Prayer of Farewell the coffin is incensed and sprinkled with water)

Prayer of Commendation (priest)

Procession to the Place of Committal

(pleasechoose a suitable hymn* here)

Please complete the accompanying ‘Preparation Sheet’ and select ONE reading from each of the following sections….

A FIRST READING FROM NUMBERS 1 – 37

A RESPONSORIAL PSALM FROM NUMBERS 38-42

(PLEASE NOTE THAT YOU MAY REPLACE THE PSALM WITH A HYMN, FOR EXAMPLE ‘THE LORD’S MY SHEPHERD.’)

A GOSPEL (TO BE READ BY THE PRESIDER OF THE FUNERAL) FROM NUMBERS 43-63

THEN, PLEASE CHOOSE A SELECTION OF PRAYERS OF THE FAITHFUL

Thank you for your assistance.

FIRST READING OPTIONS

NO.1.

A reading from the book of Revelation (14:13)

I, John, heard a voice from heaven say to me, ‘Write down: Happy are those who die in the Lord! Happy indeed, the Spirit says; now they can rest for ever after their work, since their good deeds go with them.’

The word of the Lord.

NO.1 B (variation)

A reading from the book of Revelation (14:13)

I, John, heard a voice from heaven say to me, ‘Write down: Blessed are those who die in the Lord! Blessed indeed, the Spirit says; now they can rest for ever after their work, since their good deeds go with them.’

The word of the Lord.

NO. 2.

A reading from the first letter of St Paul to the Thessalonians (4:13-18)

We want you to be quite certain, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, to make sure that you do not grieve about them, like the other people who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again, and that it will be the same for those who have died in Jesus: God will bring them with him. We can tell you this from the Lord’s own teaching, that any of us who are left alive until the Lord’s coming will not have any advantage over those who have died. At the trumpet of God, the voice of the archangel will call out the command and the Lord himself will come down from heaven; those who have died in Christ will be the first to rise, and then those of us who are still alive will be taken up in the clouds, together with them, to meet the Lord in the air. So we shall stay with the Lord for ever. With such thoughts as these you should comfort one another.

The word of the Lord.

NO 3A

A reading from the second letter of St Paul to Timothy (2 Timothy 4:6b-8)

The time has come for me to be gone. I have fought the good fight to the end; I have run the race to the finish; I have kept the faith; all there is to come now is the crown of righteousness reserved for me, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that Day; and not only to me but to all those who have longed for his Appearing.

The word of the Lord.

NO 3B

A reading from the second letter of St Paul to Timothy (2 Timothy 4:6-8)

As for me, my life is already being poured away as a libation, (a sacrifice), and the time has come for me to be gone. I have fought the good fight to the end; I have run the race to the finish; I have kept the faith; all there is to come now is the crown of righteousness reserved for me, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that Day; and not only to me but to all those who have longed for his Appearing.

The word of the Lord.

NO 3C

A reading from the prophet Isaiah (25:6-9)

On this mountain,

the Lord of hosts will prepare for all peoples

a banquet of rich food, a banquet of fine wines,

of food rich and juicy, of fine strained wines.

On this mountain he will remove

the mourning veil covering all peoples,

and the shroud enwrapping all nations,

he will destroy Death for ever.

The Lord God will wipe away

the tears from every cheek;

he will take away his people’s shame

everywhere on earth,

for the Lord has said so.

That day, it will be said: See, this is our God

in whom we hoped for salvation;

the Lord is the one in whom we hoped.

We exult and we rejoice

that he has saved us;

The word of the Lord.

NO 3D

A reading from the letter of St Paul to the Philippians (1:1-7a, 9-11)

I thank my God whenever I think of you; and every time I pray for all of you, I pray with joy, remembering how you have helped spread the Good News from the day you first heard it right up to the present. I am quite certain that the One who began this good work in you will see that it is finished when the Day of Christ Jesus comes. You have a permanent place in my heart, and God knows how much I miss you all, loving you as Christ Jesus loves you. My prayer is that your love for each other may increase more and more and never stop improving your knowledge and deepening your perception so that you can always recognise what is best. This will help you to become pure and blameless, and prepare you for the Day of Christ, when you will reach the perfect goodness which Christ Jesus produces in us for the glory and praise of God.

The word of the Lord.

NO. 4
A reading from the letter of St Paul to the Romans (8:31-35. 37-39)

With God on our side who can be against us? Since God did not spare his own Son, but gave him up to benefit us all, we may be certain, after such a gift, that he will not refuse anything he can give. Could anyone accuse those that God has chosen? When God acquits, could anyone condemn? Could Christ Jesus? No! He not only died for us – he rose from the dead, and there at God’s right hand he stands and pleads for us.

Nothing therefore can come between us and the love of Christ, even if we are troubled or worried, or being persecuted, or lacking food or clothes, or being threatened or even attacked. These are the trials through which we triumph, by the power of him who loved us.

For I am certain of this: neither death nor life, no angel, no prince, nothing that exists, nothing still to come, not any power, or height or depth, nor any created thing, can ever come between us and the love of God made visible in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The word of the Lord.

NO. 5.

A reading from the letter of St Paul to the Romans (14:7-9, 11)

The word of the Lord.

NO. 5b

A reading from the letter of St Paul to the Romans (14:7-12)

The life and death of each of us has its influence on others; if we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord, so that alive or dead we belong to the Lord. This explains why Christ both died and came to life, it was so that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living. This is also why you should never pass judgement on a brother or sister or treat them with contempt, as some of you have done. We shall all have to stand before the judgement seat of God; as scripture says: By my life – it is the Lord who speaks – every knee shall bend before me, and every tongue shall praise God. It is to God, therefore, that each of us must give an account of themselves.

The word of the Lord.

NO. 6

A reading from the book of Wisdom (4:7-10a, 14-15)

The virtuous person, though they die before their time, will find rest.

Length of days is not what makes age honorable,

nor number of years the true measure of life;

understanding, this is a person’s grey hairs,

untarnished life, this is ripe old age.

He has sought to please God, so God has loved him;

Coming to perfection in so short a while, he achieved long life;

his soul being pleasing to the Lord,

he has taken him quickly.

Yet people look on, uncomprehending;

it does not enter their heads

that grace and mercy await the chosen of the Lord,

and protection, his holy ones.

The word of the Lord.

NO 7

A reading from the prophet Isaiah (25:6-9)

The Lord God has invited us to rejoice with him, and he will wipe away the tears from every face.

On this mountain,

the Lord of hosts will prepare for all peoples

a banquet of rich food, a banquet of fine wines,

of food rich and juicy, of fine strained wines.

On this mountain he will remove

the mourning veil covering all peoples,

and the shroud enwrapping all nations,

he will destroy Death for ever.

The Lord God will wipe away

the tears from every cheek;

he will take away his people’s shame

everywhere on earth,

for the Lord has said so.

That day, it will be said: See, this is our God

in whom we hoped for salvation;

the Lord is the one in whom we hoped.

We exult and we rejoice

that he has saved us;

The word of the Lord.

NO 8.

From the First Letter of John (1 John 3:14,-16)

We have passed out of death and into life,

and of this we can be sure

because we love our brothers and sisters.

If you refuse to love, you must remain dead;

This has taught us love –

that he gave up his life for us;

and we, too, ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.

The word of the Lord.

NO. 9

A reading from the book of Revelation (7:9-10, 15-17)

I, John, saw a huge number, impossible to count, of people from every nation, race, tribe and language; they were standing in front of the throne and in front of the Lamb, dressed in white robes and holding palms in their hands. They shouted aloud, ‘Victory to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’ They now stand in front of God’s throne and serve him day and night in his sanctuary; and the One who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. They will never hunger or thirst again; neither the sun nor scorching wind will ever plague them, because the Lamb who is at the throne will be their shepherd and will lead them to springs of living water; and God will wipe away all tears from their eyes.’

The word of the Lord.

No. 10

A reading from the book of Wisdom (3:1-6a,9).

The souls of the virtuous are in the hands of God,

no torment shall ever touch them.

In the eyes of the unwise, they did appear to die,

their going looked like a disaster,

their leaving us, like annihilation;

but they are in peace.

If they experienced punishment as people see it,

their hope was rich with immortality;

slight was their affliction, great will their blessings be.

God has put them to the test

and proved them worthy to be with him;

he has tested them like gold in a furnace.

They who trust in him will understand the truth,

those who are faithful will live with him in love;

for grace and mercy await those he has chosen.

The word of the Lord.

No. 11

A reading from the letter of St Paul to the Philippians (3:20-21)

For us, our homeland is in heaven, and from heaven comes the saviour we are waiting for, the Lord Jesus Christ, and he will transfigure these weak mortal bodies of ours into copies of his glorious body. He will do that by the same power with which he can subdue the whole universe.

The word of the Lord.

NO 12

A reading from the second letter of St Paul to the Corinthians (4:14 - 5:1)

We know that he who raised the Lord Jesus to life will raise us with Jesus in our turn, and put us by his side and you with us. You see, all this is for your benefit, so that the more grace is multiplied among people, the more thanksgiving there will be, to the glory of God.

That is why there is no weakening on our part, and instead, though this outer man of ours may be falling into decay, the inner man is renewed day by day. Yes, the troubles which are soon over, though they weigh little, train us for the carrying of a weight of eternal glory which is out of all proportion to them. And so we have no eyes for things that are visible, but only for things that are invisible; for visible things last only for a time, and the invisible things are eternal.

For we know that when the tent that we live in on earth is folded up, there is a house built by God for us, an everlasting home not made by human hands, in the heavens.

The word of the Lord.

NO 13

A reading from the second letter of St Paul to Timothy (2:8-13)

Remember the Good News that I carry, ‘Jesus Christ risen from the dead, sprung from the race of David’; it is on account of this that I have my own hardships to bear, even to being chained like a criminal – but they cannot chain up God’s news. So I bear it all for the sake of those who are chosen, so that in the end they may have the salvation that is in Christ Jesus and the eternal glory that comes with it.

Here is a saying that you can rely on:

If we have died with him, then we shall live with him.

If we hold firm, then we shall reign with him.

If we disown him, then he will disown us.

We may be unfaithful, but he is always faithful,

for he cannot disown his own self.

The word of the Lord.

NO. 14

A reading from the first letter of St John (3:1-2)

Think of the love that the Father has lavished on us,

by letting us be called God’s children;

and that is what we are.

Because the world refused to acknowledge him,

therefore it does not acknowledge us.

My dear people, we are already the children of God

but what we are to be in the future has not yet been revealed;

all we know is, that when it is revealed