The Funeral Rites of the Catholic Church, part 4 (the reception at the church)

At some point in the three-part funeral liturgy, the body is received at the church. This usually happens at the start of the Funeral Mass, but it will occur at the start of the Vigil if the Vigil is being held at the church.
       The reception of the body is rich with baptismal symbolism. Recall that, at the beginning of our life in the Church, we are baptized. At our baptism, we are called by name, washed with holy water, clothed in a white garment, and given a candle that was lit off the Easter Candle. Symbolically, we believe that baptism is our joining with Christ in his death and resurrection. 
       So this is how it plays out at the other end of life:

• The presider greets the body (and mourners) at the door of the church (presumably near the baptismal font)
• The presider takes water from the baptismal font, sprinkles it on the coffin, and says, "In the waters of baptism, [name] died with Christ and rose with him to new life. May s/he now share with him eternal glory."
• A white cloth called the pall is placed over the coffin. 
• The body is processed into the church while everyone sings, and is placed near the place where the lit Easter Candle stands.

Thus, we enter the church for the last time, in a manner reminiscent of the way we entered for the first time.

The Funeral Rites of the Catholic Church, part 3 (the Vigil for the Deceased)

Prior to the implementation of the current Order of Christian Funerals, it was very common for a gathered group of people to pray a rosary in the presence of the deceased on the night before the Funeral Mass. The concept of keeping vigil with the deceased was established, but the prayer took the form of a pious practice (albeit a good one) instead of the form of a liturgy. This was changed with the current rites.

       The purpose of the Vigil is distinctly about the life of the deceased. It's about the past, with a bit of a foretaste of the Funeral Mass with its expression of hope for the future. 

       The Vigil has the following parts:

INTRODUCTORY RITES

   Greeting

   Opening Song

   Invitation to Prayer & Opening Prayer

LITURGY OF THE WORD

  First Reading

  Responsorial Psalm

  Gospel

  Homily

PRAYER OF INTERCESSION

  Litany

  Lord's Prayer

  Concluding Prayer

(OPTIONAL: REMEMBRANCE OF THE DECEASED)

CONCLUDING RITE

  Blessing

  (Optional: song; silent prayer)

A couple of notes about this:

1. The instructions in the ritual book states, "Music is integral to any vigil... [W]ell-chosen music can touch the mourners and others present at levels of human need that words alone often fail to reach. Such music can enliven the faith of the community gathered to support the family and to affirm hope in the resurrection." Well said.
2. Note that there is no dismissal at the end of the Vigil. As mentioned in a previous post, the entire funeral liturgy, like the Triduum liturgy, is a single liturgy in three movements. There will be no dismissal until the very end, after the body is committed.
3. Note that the structure of the Vigil is essentially a Liturgy of the Word, just like we would do at Mass. With its form of prayer, song, and scripture, this makes it far more accessible to non-Catholic Christians than a rosary or other popular Catholic piety. 
4. Most importantly, note that this is the most appropriate place in the three-movement funeral liturgy to have people speak about the deceased and his or her life. This entire Vigil is all about that. So, even though the Remembrance of the Deceased is optional in the rite, it is important that the stories be told at this time. Just as it is important to read the scriptures as the story of our common Christian life, it is likewise important to tell the story of this particular Christian life.

The presider for the Vigil may be a member of the clergy (deacon, priest, or bishop) or a lay person. If a lay person presides, a few parts will be handled differently. A lay presider should be trained in the rite and have permission to preach (permission is handled differently from diocese to diocese). 

       The Vigil may take place in the home of the deceased, in a funeral home, in a chapel of rest, or even in the church. If it is celebrated in church, the Vigil begins with the reception of the body at the door of the church (sprinkling with holy water, placing of the pall, and procession to the place of vigil). More about the reception in a future post.

       The Vigil may take place any time after death until some time before the scheduled start of the Funeral Mass. In scheduling the Vigil and the Mass, there should be ample time between the end of the Vigil and the beginning of the Mass so that the Liturgy of the Word will not seem repetitious.

The Funeral Rites of the Catholic Church, part 2 (cremation)

Over my decade or so of pastoral ministry, I have found that there is nothing more misunderstood than the Catholic Church's teaching on cremation. While it is true that the Church did not approve of cremation for a long time, since the fall of 1997, this is no longer the case. Cremation is now recognized as a legitimate way of preparing a body for its Final Committal. But notice two things about that statement:

1. It's only for the Committal that the body should be cremated. The Church still prefers that the body be present for the Vigil and funeral Mass. We prefer that cremation take place after the funeral Mass so that the body that participated in the Eucharist be present one last time for a Eucharist for her/his soul. Fortunately, the funeral industry has responded by allowing the rental of caskets for the Vigil and Mass, allowing it to be returned when the body is cremated.
2. The remains must still be committed! Placing the remains on the mantle or in a bookcase is not considered proper, just as storing a body of a deceased loved one in your freezer is not considered proper. The Church teaches that the remains of the dead must be reverently and respectfully committed to a proper burial place. This can be in the ground, in a columbarium, or entombed at sea. The important parts of this teaching are that the remains are (a) kept together (no scattering!) and (b) committed in a place that is set aside for that purpose.

As a pastoral matter, however, the Church recognizes that cremation after the funeral Mass is not always possible either due to time required to gather the family or the time required to perform the cremation. Therefore, although there is a clear preference for the body to be present for the funeral Mass, there is an option in the Order of Christian Funerals for the funeral Mass to take place with the cremated remains present. Special procedures and prayers are used in this case.

The Funeral Rites of the Catholic Church, part 1 (introduction & overview)

Introduction

Sen. Ted Kennedy's Funeral Mass was recently televised, and it calls to mind some important points about perhaps our most public rites, the Catholic funeral. The Catholic funeral differs in many distinct ways from the way secular society memorializes someone who has died. In many ways, it is countercultural, just like all of our sacraments. It calls us to imagine something that is beyond our imagining (life after death), and it recognizes our vulnerability, and indeed celebrates it. What better time to "get" the meaning of our belief in the Resurrection than to fully celebrate the Catholic funeral of a loved one!

       Like all of our rites, however, how well they convey the mystery is dependent upon how well and how completely they are done. Over the course of the next few posts, I will offer a description of various parts of the Catholic funeral rites, in the hopes that Catholics will be motivated to sit down with their pastor and develop a plan for their own funeral that is faithful to the Church's liturgy.

__________

Overview

 

The funeral rites of the Catholic Church are contained in the Order of Christians Funerals, which dates back to 1985. There are three movements in a Catholic funeral:

1. The Vigil — a service of scriptures, prayers, and personal reflections in the presence of the body or remains of the deceases, intended to occur the night before the Funeral Mass.
2. The Funeral Mass — a solemn Mass in the presence of the body or remains.
3. The Committal — final prayers held when the body or remains are placed in their final resting place.

Note that this parallels how we celebrate Christ's death and resurrection in three movements each year at the end of Holy Week. This is not a coincidence — we believe that, like Christ, we will die and all rise again. 
       Also note that the body or cremated remains are required for all of these rites. Without a body or remains, we may celebrate a Memorial Mass for the Dead and this may be rather beautiful, but it will lack the full sacramental power of the three-part funeral.