Planning a
funeral or memorial service for a loved
one can be quite overwhelming. It
is important to us, the staff at
St. Mary Magdalen, to help you make these
arrangements with as much
knowledge and the least amount of stress
possible.
Every
baptized Catholic has the rite to a
Catholic Funeral.
MORTUARY:
The first thing to consider is the
mortuary whom you will be entrusting the
body of your loved one to. At the
mortuary you will meet your funeral
director who will accompany you through
every part of the service you plan, from
the Vigil (Rosary), the Funeral Mass, to
the Cemetery for interment.
CHURCH:
Either you or your funeral director will
need to contact the church office to
arrange the date and time for the
Funeral / Memorial Mass. Once the
date, time, and priest are scheduled, a
member of our Bereavement Ministry will
contact you for a home visit. The
purpose of this visit is to discuss the
readings, music, and details of the
funeral. Your Bereavement Team
will also come to the mortuary for the
Vigil and lead the Rosary if requested.
Frequently
Asked Questions
Q:
What is the difference between a
Memorial Mass and a Funeral Mass?
A
Funeral Mass has the body (either in
the closed casket or the remains in a
sealed urn) present during the Mass.
Q:
Do we have to have a Rosary /
Vigil to have a catholic funeral?
No.
There are many different options
available to you. Of course, we
always encourage you to respect the
wishes of your deceased loved one.
Most embrace the idea of a Vigil
because there will only be opportunity
during the Funeral for one person to
deliver a five-minute Eulogy.
The Vigil is your opportunity to open
the floor up to those who want to
share their stories about your loved
one. Also, with funerals
usually being during a weekday
morning, some guests can only make it
to the Vigil to pay their respects.
It is common for the Rosary to be
prayed at the beginning of the Vigil
as a prayerful lead into the
recognition of his/her Christian
life.
Q:
Will the priest be at the mortuary for
the Vigil?
No.
The Vigil is a Liturgy of the Word
service. Your Bereavement Team
will be there to lead the Rosary if
desired, and to organize the evening's
events.
Q:
It is important for our family to have a
viewing. Will we be able to have
the casket open during the Funeral Mass?
The
casket is to remain closed for the
actual Funeral Mass. The time
for the viewing is at the Vigil the
night before at the mortuary, or in
some instances arrangements can be
made for a private family viewing a
half hour before the funeral starts
(this would need to be pre-arranged
with your Bereavement Team and Funeral
Directors).
Q:
Is it acceptable for a Catholic to be
cremated?
Yes.
The Church's definite preference is
for burial of the body. However,
since 1963 cremation has been
permitted, although at that time the
cremated remains were not allowed to
be present during the Funeral Mass.
In 1997 the Vatican gave the bishops
of the United States permission to
allow the celebration of the Funeral
Mass with the cremated remains present
with the permission of the local
bishop. We have a lot of Funeral
Masses with the remains present in the
urn. We ask the family to
provide a large picture of the
deceased to display by the urn so
their presence can truly be felt.
Q:
Do we have to inter the ashes at the
cemetery, or can we scatter them at sea,
keep them at home, etc.?
Respectful
final disposition of cremated remains
involves interment or entombment.
The practice of scattering cremated
remains on the sea, from the air, or
on the ground, or keeping cremated
remains in the home of a relative or
friend of the deceased are not the
reverent disposition that the Church
requires.
Q:
Can I have the body present in a casket
at the Funeral Mass and have it cremated
after the funeral?
Yes.
We ask that you make arrangements for
the graveside service as soon as
possible to properly inter the ashes
in accordinance with the teachings of
the Catholic Church.
For
assistance with planning a funeral
please call
the Parish Office at 484-0532.
