“When the choice has been made to cremate the body, it is recommended that the cremation take place after the Funeral Liturgy.” (OCF #418). A casket may be rented for presentation of the body at the funeral liturgy when cremation is chosen. This allows appropriate reverence for the sacredness of the body the sprinkling with the holy water, the placing of the pall and honoring the body of the deceased with incense. The Church encourages that the body of the deceased be present for the funeral rites. The Catholic Church’s teaching regarding cremation Through the Holy Spirit, the community is joined together in sign and symbol, word and gesture that each believer through baptism shares in Christ’s death and resurrection and can look to the day when all the elect will be raised up and united in the kingdom of light and peace.” (OCF 128-129)Ī vigil/viewing in the funeral home the evening before the day of the funeral is the recommended place and time for family and friends to pay their respects this is the appropriate time for a eulogy, if desired. At the funeral liturgy, the community gathers with the family and friends of the deceased to give praise and thanks to God for Christ’s victory over sin and death, to commend the deceased to God’s tender mercy and compassion, and to seek strength in the proclamation of the paschal mystery. “The Funeral Liturgy is the central liturgical celebration of the Christian community for the deceased. Please call Carol Pavlak in our parish office to begin the funeral planning process, personally talk with your family and answer any questions. Immersed in the wonder and hope of the Paschal Mystery, the Church prays for the dead, filled with confidence that God will “wipe away all the tears from our eyes and there will be no more death, no more tears, no more sadness.” Rev 21:4 The Mass, the memorial of Christ’s death and resurrection, is the principal celebration of the Christian Funeral.” “Christians celebrate the funeral rites to offer worship, praise and thanksgiving to God for the gift of life which has now been returned to God, the author of life and the hope of the just. The Church also ministers to the sorrowing and consoles them in the funeral rites with the comforting word of God and the Sacrament of the Eucharist.” “At the death of a Christian, whose life of faith was begun in the waters of baptism and strengthened at the Eucharistic table, the Church intercedes on behalf of the deceased because of its confident belief that death is not the end nor does it break the bonds forged in life. The National Conference of Catholic Bishops, (Order of Christian Funerals, 1989) explains beautifully the purpose in celebrating the Funeral Rites for a deceased Christian: “In the fear of death, the Church confidently proclaims that God has created each person for eternal life and that Jesus, Son of God, by his death and resurrection, has broken the chains of sin and death that bound humanity.” (“Order of Christian Funerals” #1) As one family of God, we extend our deepest condolences to your family. As Jesus wept when his friend, Lazarus, died, we do the same and share with your family the sorrow of the loss of your loved one.
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