Catholic Funerals
The period after the death of someone close can be deeply painful and overwhelming. Planning a funeral during this time can add further stress. The Catholic Church offers long-established funeral rites that help guide families through grief while honouring the life of the deceased. These traditions, developed over centuries, reflect the dignity of human life and the belief that we are children of God. A central focus of a Catholic funeral is faith in eternal life and hope in the resurrection. The service gives thanks for the person’s life and entrusts them to God with dignity, prayer and love.
Prayer is at the heart of these rites. Catholics pray for the soul of the deceased, asking for forgiveness, peace, and the gift of new life with God. There is also a hope of being reunited with loved ones in the future.When arranging a Catholic funeral, families can draw on these sacred traditions. However, the structure of the rites must be respected and cannot be altered to match non-Catholic practices.
A Catholic funeral may be celebrated for anyone who was baptised in the Catholic Church, received into full communion with the Catholic Church from another Christian tradition, or was a catechumen preparing for Baptism. In certain circumstances, members of other Christian denominations may also receive a Catholic funeral, particularly if they were closely connected with a Catholic family and had not expressed a wish for a different form of funeral.
Arranging a Funeral
When someone dies, the funeral director will normally contact the parish office to begin making arrangements for the funeral. While the funeral director will advise you on the practical aspects of the funeral, only a Catholic priest or deacon can guide you in choosing the most appropriate form of the Church’s funeral rites for your family’s needs and circumstances. For this reason, we ask that the family also contact the parish priest as soon as possible to plan the funeral carefully and make the necessary liturgical arrangements.
Forms of the Catholic Funeral Rite:
The Catholic Church offers two principal forms of funeral:
Requiem Mass (Funeral Mass):
The celebration of the Holy Eucharist, in which we commend the deceased to God’s mercy and pray for the repose of their soul. This is the fullest expression of the Church’s prayer for the dead.
Funeral Service:
A funeral service is a liturgy celebrated without the Eucharist (Mass).
When speaking with the funeral director or the parish office, please indicate clearly whether you are requesting a full Requiem Mass or a Funeral Service, as these are distinct celebrations.
Preparing the Funeral Liturgy
To help you prepare the funeral liturgy and the Order of Service, we have provided guidance on:
• The structure of the funeral liturgy;
• Scripture readings;
• Psalms and Gospel readings;
• Prayers of the faithful;
• Hymns
The parish priest or deacon will be happy to help you make suitable choices and answer any questions you may have.
Traditional Hymns
- Amazing grace: A beautiful hymn of gratitude for God’s saving grace, mercy, and the peace found in trusting Him.
(Words: John Newton) - The Lord is my Shepherd (Psalm 23): A comforting hymn of trust in God’s guidance, protection, and presence throughout the journey of life.
- Abide with me: A prayer for God’s comforting presence and strength, especially in times of sorrow, suffering, and at the end of life.
(Words: H. F. Lyte) - How great Thou art: A hymn of wonder and praise, reflecting on the beauty of creation and the greatness and majesty of God.
(Words: Carl Boberg) - Guide me, O Thou Great Redeemer: A prayer for God’s guidance and strength as we journey through life and entrust ourselves to His loving care.
(Words: W. Williams) - Morning has broken: A gentle celebration of the gift of a new day, reminding us of God’s goodness, light, and the hope of new beginnings.
- Lord of all hopefulness: A prayer asking God to remain close to us in every moment of life, giving us strength, comfort, and hope.
(Words: Jan Struther) - I watch the sunrise: A reflective hymn expressing the beauty of a new day and the hope and peace found in God’s presence.
(Words: John Glynn) - Jerusalem: A hymn expressing a vision of hope, peace, and the coming of God’s kingdom.
(Words: William Blake) - Lead, kindly light: A prayer of trust in God’s gentle guidance, asking Him to lead us safely through the journey of life, especially in times of uncertainty and darkness.
(Words: John Henry Newman) - Make me a channel of your peace: A prayer to become an instrument of God’s peace, love, forgiveness, hope, and compassion to others.
(Words attributed to St Francis of Assisi) - Be still for the presence of the Lord: Invites us to become still, find peace, and rest in the presence of the Lord. (Words: David J. Evans)
- Ave Maria: A prayer seeking the loving intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and entrusting ourselves and our loved ones to her care.
- Thine be the glory: A joyful hymn of Christian hope, celebrating Christ’s victory over death and the promise of resurrection and eternal life.
(Words: Edmond Budry; translated from French by Richard Birch Hoyle)
Prayer of the Faithful (Bidding Prayers)
(Please use these prayers or adapt them according to your needs.)
Celebrant/ Priest: Brothers and sisters, with faith in God’s promise of eternal life, let us bring our prayers before the Lord, trusting in His mercy and love.
(The reader continues with the following prayers.)
Reader: Your response to each prayer will be: “Hear our Prayer.”
- Reader: For , who has died: that the Lord may forgive all his/her sins, receive him/her into the joy of His eternal Kingdom, and grant him/her everlasting peace. (Pause) Lord, in your mercy.
- Reader: For the family and friends of : that the Lord may comfort them in their sorrow, strengthen them in their faith, and surround them with the love and support of family and friends. (Pause) Lord, in your mercy.
- Reader: For all who are seriously ill and for those approaching the end of their earthly life: that the Lord may be close to them, relieve their suffering, give them peace and courage, and welcome them into His loving presence when their earthly journey is complete. (Pause) Lord, in your mercy.
- Reader: For all who care for people in hospitals and care homes, especially family members, medical staff and carers: that the Lord may bless their loving service, strengthen them in their compassion and patience, and help them to continue to recognise and uphold the dignity and value of every person entrusted to their care. (Pause) Lord, in your mercy.
- Reader: For the Church throughout the world, and for all our relatives and friends who have gone before us marked with the sign of faith: that the Lord may welcome them into the fullness of eternal life, and that one day we may be reunited with them in the Kingdom of Heaven. (Pause) Lord, in your mercy.
- Let us pray for a few moments in the silence of our hearts. (Pause) Lord, in your mercy.
(If it is a tradition, please include the Hail Mary here.)
Reader: Let us ask Mary, the Mother of Jesus, to pray with us as we say the Hail Mary.
Hail, Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou amongst women
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.
Celebrant/Priest: Heavenly Father, you are the source of life and the hope of all who believe. Hear the prayers we offer for N. and for all those who have died. Comfort those who mourn, strengthen those who are suffering, and help us to live each day in the hope of the resurrection. We make these prayers through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.
‘At the Hour of Our Death’ : A pastoral letter from the Bishop of Shrewsbury, October 29 2023
My dear brothers and sisters,
The shortening days of November naturally turn our minds to the mystery of death and all that is to follow. In the unfading light of Christ’s Cross and Resurrection we are called to pray for all who have gone before us. In this way, we live the second of the commandments: “You must love your neighbour as yourself” i The first days of November – the Solemnity of All Saints and the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed – invite us to lift our sights to the Church in glory and pray for the souls in purification. The Church teaches that “our prayer for them is capable of helping them, but also of making their intercession effective for us”.ii We pray and ask the prayers of those gone before us because the bond between us is not broken by death. The Church desires to show this same care for the departed in all her funeral rites, interceding on their behalf and ministering to the sorrowing.
In my early years as a priest, I sometimes prayed the last prayers at a graveside where no one was left to mourn. The funeral directors out of charity, would join me to form a congregation and respond to those prayers. Sadly, we are now seeing funerals being promoted commercially at which no one is to be present, and no prayer is to be offered. ‘No fuss’ funerals seem devised to prevent participation by family, friend or community. The recent secularisation and even trivialisation of funerals may have led people to abandon the thought of having a funeral, as they see no purpose. We must surely be concerned for the human impact of these developments and recognise the loss of the Christian vision of what should mark our passing from this world. For a Christian funeral is not the disposing of a body, but a calling together in prayer and in hope.iii November reminds us of this final duty of charity we owe to each other.
The Church commends at the end of our earthly pilgrimage that we should be fortified by the grace of the Sacraments of Penance, Anointing and the Holy Eucharist.iv We should never hesitate to call the priest to assist those who are dying so that in this most decisive hour we may be supported in the beautiful words of Saint John Henry Newman “In the strong arms of the Sacraments”.v
Nor does this duty of care and charity end in the hour of death, rather we are called to pray for those who have died. In her funeral rites the Church desires to commend our souls to God’s merciful love and plead for our forgivenessvi just as in every Mass, we pray and intercede for all the faithful departed. It would be a mistake to think of a funeral merely as the celebration of a life now ended. As I wrote to you a decade ago, the dead do not need our praises, but they do need our prayers.
This is why the community is called together in prayer and in hope, and in offering the Eucharistic Sacrifice for the one who has died. The Mass is the principal celebration of a Christian funeral because the Mass is the greatest of all prayers, the prayer of Christ Himself “the very body which he gave up for us on the cross, the very blood which he ‘poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins’”.vii In the light of Christ’s victory over sin and death we come together recognising the spiritual bond which endures between the living and the departed. This is surely the greatest consolation of those who mourn.
November calls us to such renewed prayer for all who have gone before us. We trust many will also pray for us as the Rites of Holy Mother Church accompany us in our final hour. In the confidence expressed in those words we so often repeat “Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.”
United with you in this prayer,
+ Mark
Bishop of Shrewsbury
