Preparing for a Church Funeral

When preparing the funeral service, in most cases the planning and preparation tasks fall to the immediate family. However, the more the family, relatives and friends actively plan and participate in the ceremony itself, the deeper will be the consolation and strength they experience.

Upon being notified of a death, the funeral coordinator will call you to offer help in planning the funeral Mass. We will meet with you and assist you in picking out the music, readings, and explain the different ways in which the family and friends can participate in the Mass.

Visitation at church - On the day of the funeral, we welcome you to begin at church. Many families will start with a visitation at church before the Mass begins. This can be 30 minutes before Mass or one hour before Mass begins. This eliminates some of the getting in and out of cars and processions thru traffic, which can be difficult for older people.

Music - The funeral choir will be honored to sing and provide music at all funerals.

Readings - The purpose of the readings is to convey to those in grief the comfort and hope of the word of God. We will provide you with a small booklet that will guide you in the selection of readings.

Worship Aid - As part of our support, we will create a worship aid for the funeral Mass.  This helps the family and guests follow and participate in the liturgy as well as adding a personal touch. This will be done by putting a photo on the cover of the worship aid and a special prayer or poem on the back cover.

For information, call Debbie Lund, Coordinator of Pastorial Ministries, 219-865-8956, ext. 306 or email her at DebbieL@smgdyer.org.