Writing about funerals at the beginning of this new year may seem a bit depressing, but it has been on my mind for some time now to address general issues surrounding funerals in the church, issues which often come up in conversations with parishioners. In a question and answer format, I would like to attempt to answer some of the most commonly asked queries about funerals and the Church.
Q. Is it okay to have a loved ones body cremated immediately after death, and then bring the cremated remains (in an urn) to the church for a funeral?
A. First of all, a liturgy (with or without mass) where only ashes are present is not considered a funeral. A funeral is celebrated when the body is present. A liturgy without a body or with only the urn of ashes present is called a Memorial Mass or a Memorial Service. The Church prefers and asks Catholics to have a funeral Mass with the body present. There is a great deal of difference between the way we treat the body (which was the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit since baptism) and the way we approach the idea of an urn with ashes. Proof of this is in the fact that we wouldn’t even consider having a casket sitting in our living room for a year or two with a loved one inside, yet many people have urns with the ashes of their loved ones in them on their mantles, basements or in a closet at home. It’s just not the same. For this reason, the Church prefers that even if the family wishes that their deceased loved one be cremated, or if it was the wishes of the deceased to be cremated, the body should be cremated after the funeral liturgy has taken place.
Q. If I do choose to be cremated, does it matter what is done with the ashes?
A. Yes. The Church asks that her children be buried, whether it be ashes or a body in a casket, in consecrated ground. Catholic cemeteries now increasingly offer places of repose for cremation urns that are both dignified and also offer the living loved ones a ‘place’ to go and visit, pray and remember their loved one in the midst of the vast family of Catholic faithful who have gone before them and await resurrection. Rather than being places of morbid sadness, cemeteries are open shrines to our faith in the Resurrection of the dead.
Q. How does a Memorial Mass with ashes present differ from a Funeral Mass with the body present?
A. At a Funeral Mass with the body present,
The casket is brought into the church and is greeted by the celebrant, servers and congregation recalling how the beloved deceased first came into the Church through baptism, recalling our hope in prayer that God will now fulfill his promise of eternal life to the one who has died. The sprinkling of the casket with Holy Water recalls the deceased person’s death and resurrection in Christ through baptism.
The casket is covered with a white pall which symbolizes our baptismal garment, when we were “clothed with the garment of salvation”. It also serves to remind us through its presence throughout the Funeral Liturgy that in the eyes of God we are all the same and does not focus on expensive or economical caskets.
The casket is taken to the foot of the sanctuary and is given a prime place throughout the liturgy. Everyone in attendance at the Mass can participate in the Mass with a remembering eye to the loved one who has died.
At the end of the liturgy, prayers of commendation are said before the casket and Holy Water is sprinkled and the body is incensed by the priest.
Following the conclusion of the Mass and commendation prayers, the casket is taken out of the church in procession and is sprinkled with Holy Water once again after the pall has been removed.
At a Memorial Mass with ashes in an urn,
■ The urn is brought into the church and placed on a suitable table at the front of the church and to the right or left of the sanctuary before the Memorial Mass . There is no greeting of the body, sprinkling with Holy Water, Incense, nor is a pall used. The urn is not to be placed in the center aisle.