The Catholic Church makes its Funeral Rites available to all Catholics who died in good standing in the Church whether they practiced their faith or not.
The Church also provides for the possibility of a Catholic Funeral / Liturgy of the Word for non-Catholic relatives of practicing Catholics. The Church allows a Catholic Funeral to be offered for the repose of the soul of someone who committed suicide, respectful of mental health issues and circumstances.
Infants
Both Baptized infants and those whom their parents intended to Baptize but died before the Sacrament could be administered may receive a Catholic Funeral service - either a Funeral Mass or a Liturgy of the Word with committal at the cemetery.
Who can be buried at St. Peter’s Cemetery?
Parish cemeteries are usually reserved for parishioners (or former parishioners) and their families. Non-Catholic family members of parishioners may also be buried in a Catholic cemetery.
Does the Church allow Cremation?
The Catholic Church allows for cremation, but it prefers that the body itself be present for the Vigil Service and Funeral Mass and that the cremation take place after the Mass.
Music
While music is a standard part of the Church’s Funeral Rites — especially at a Funeral Mass — it is not a requirement. Family members should decide among themselves if they want music or not. If they want music, they may choose to have an organist alone or an organist and singer. If the family wants an organist and singer, they may choose songs from the list that follows in Appendix B and should alert the funeral director to their choices. The director will in turn notify the musicians.
The selections listed in Appendix B do not exhaust the possibilities but are common hymns approved by the USCCB for inclusion in Catholic funerals. Music outside this repertoire may be proposed but must be approved by the pastor and the musicians. Only sacred music appropriate to a funeral liturgy is allowed.
Bagpipers are welcome to pipe a casket from the hearse to the front door and then from the front door back to the hearse. They are most welcome at the graveside.
The Vigil Service takes place at the funeral home during calling hours. It is led by a priest or a deacon and consists of opening prayers, a reading from Scripture sometimes followed by a reflection, concluding prayers, and a final blessing. The Sacrament of Confession is also available when a priest conducts the service. The purpose of the Vigil is to give family and friends an opportunity to be consoled by the mercy of God in the face of the darkness of death.
The Vigil Service is the ideal place for a friend or member of the family to speak in remembrance of the deceased. A eulogy spoken at the Vigil can be more expansive than one delivered at a Funeral Mass. The Vigil is also the most appropriate place for poems or passages from literary works that were favorites of the deceased to be read since these kinds of readings cannot be read at a Funeral Mass.
The Funeral Mass is the principal services that the Catholic Church offers for the eternal repose of the deceased’s soul. By offering Mass specifically for the deceased, the Church brings the merits of Christ’s death and resurrection directly to bear on his or her salvation. The offering of a Mass for the deceased indicates that the Church presumes even if a person died in the state of grace, and thus is ultimately destined for heaven, he or she may spend some time in purgatory.
Purgatory, in historic Christian theology, is the state after death wherein souls destined eventually for eternal life spend time being purified whatever behaviors and circumstances prevented them from loving God with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength. Once that purification is completed by God’s grace, the soul is then fit to be in his presence forever.
Those attending the Funeral Mass should keep in mind that it is a solemn occasion. During Mass, Father will instruct people on when to sit, stand, or kneel, so those who are unfamiliar with the Catholic liturgy can feel comfortable. Mass responses are also available in the pews.
At the Cemetery
After the Funeral Mass, the procession heads to the cemetery for a brief committal service. At the committal, the mourners have a few final minutes to pray that the deceased’s soul may have a happy disposition in eternity, and to pray that they themselves may live so as one day to be reunited with the deceased in eternal happiness. If a member of the family wishes to say a few final words of remembrance or read a favorite poem of the deceased, it may be done here.
During most of the year, the actual lowering of the casket into the ground takes place right after the committal service once the family and friends have dispersed
Winter Burials
During winter months, it sometimes happens that the ground is too hard, or the snow too deep, for the grave to be dug. In this case, the casket is placed in a holding vault at the cemetery awaiting a Spring burial. When this happens, the funeral service ends at the church with the conclusion of Mass and the crowd disperses without going to the cemetery. The burial takes place in the Spring according to the funeral home’s schedule in collaboration with the family and the priest or deacon who will be present for the committal (if the family so wishes).