Catholic Funeral Rites printable pdf download

Catholic Funeral Rites

St. Frances Cabrini (2011)

Catholic Funeral Rites

The Catholic funeral rites consist of three components:

The Vigil for the Deceased



Usually the evening before the burial



Usually at the funeral home, but can be done in the narthex of church if the

church is available



The normative format is the readings and prayers that make up the official

Vigil for the Deceased, but other options are possible:



Liturgy of the Word



Evening Prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours (Office of the Dead)



Rosary



The Vigil is the best time for a eulogy or shared remembrances

II.

The Mass of Christian Burial



Celebrated at the parish church, unless special permission is granted by the

priest to hold it at a funeral chapel



This is the central celebration of the Christian funeral



Due to the nature of the liturgy, eulogies are discouraged at the Mass itself.

They are much better done at the Vigil for the Deceased the evening before or

at the funeral luncheon. In some circumstances a eulogy at the funeral Mass

may be permitted, but there must be only one, and it must be less than 5

minutes. See more detailed guidelines below.

III.

The Rite of Committal



These final prayers before burial are normally prayed at the graveside, as we

commit our loved one to the hands of God.

On the following pages you’ll find help with the following:

Planning for the Funeral Rite

Printed Programs

Scripture Readings

Music for the Funeral Mass

Eulogies

Suggestions for describing the Funeral Rites in the newspapers

Catholic Funeral Rites

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