Funerals

Please know that our prayers are with you during your time of loss. At every mass during the Eucharistic prayer, the priest prays “remember your servants who have gone before us with the sign of faith and rest in the sleep of peace.” (EP I).  Families of the deceased are asked to contact the funeral home prior to contacting the church, in order to begin arrangements. The funeral home will then contact the rectory to schedule with the priest. After a date and time for services are selected, the family will be contacted by a member of our bereavement ministry.


May my loved one be cremated?
The Order of Christian Funerals, the ritual book for all Catholic funerals and associated times of prayer, offers the option of having a Vigil Service and a Funeral Mass with the body of the deceased present. Cremation would then occur at a later date, followed by the interment of the cremated remains.  It is also permitted to have the body cremated first, followed by visitation and the Vigil Service, then Funeral Mass, with the cremains present for both. The option in either case is yours.

May we scatter or divide the cremains?
“The cremated remains of a body should be treated with the same respect given to the human body from which they come. This includes the use of a worthy vessel to contain the ashes, the manner in which they are carried, the care and attention to appropriate placement and transport and the final disposition. The cremated remains should be buried in a grave or entombed in a mausoleum or columbarium. The practice of scattering the remains on the sea, from the air, or in the ground, or keeping cremated remains in the home of a relative or friend of the deceased are not the reverent disposition the Church requires. (Order of Christian Funerals, paragraph 417)

A Mourners Prayer
Lord Jesus, our Redeemer, you willingly gave yourself up to death, so that all might be saved and pass from death to life. We humbly ask you to comfort us in our grief and to receive (name) into the arms of your mercy.  You alone are the Holy One, you are mercy itself; by dying you unlocked the gates of life for those who believe in you.  Forgive (name) his/her sins, and grant him/her a place of happiness, light and peace in the kingdom of your glory forever and ever.  Amen.