The Catholic funeral Mass, step by step

Three parts: vigil, funeral liturgy and committal

The Catholic Church's funeral rites, set out in the Order of Christian Funerals, have three main parts. Each has its own place and its own prayers.

• The vigil. Prayer with the family and friends, held during the wake or visitation, at the funeral home, the family's home or the church. It is often called the wake service, and it may be held the evening before the funeral.
• The funeral liturgy. The central celebration, in church. The Church encourages a funeral Mass, also called the Mass of Christian Burial. When a Mass cannot be celebrated, there is a funeral liturgy outside Mass.
• The rite of committal. The last prayers, at the grave or the place of burial, as the body is laid to rest.

The program is printed for the Mass, and the rest of this guide follows it. There is more about the committal in the graveside service order of service.

The Mass, step by step

The funeral Mass has four movements: the reception of the body, the Liturgy of the Word, the Liturgy of the Eucharist, and the final commendation. Then the coffin is carried out. In order:

1. Reception at the door. The priest greets the family at the church door and sprinkles the coffin with holy water, a reminder of baptism.
2. The pall. A white cloth, the pall, may then be placed over the coffin by family members, friends or the priest, as a sign of the white garment of baptism. When cremated remains are present, the pall is left out.
3. Entrance procession. The priest leads the coffin and the family up the aisle while the entrance hymn is sung. A Bible or a crucifix may be carried in and placed on the coffin.
4. Opening prayer. The priest leads the opening prayer.
5. First reading. From the Old Testament, or in the Easter season from the New Testament, read by a family member or a friend.
6. Responsorial psalm. A psalm with a short response for everyone, sung if possible.
7. Second reading. From the letters of the New Testament, read by a different reader.
8. Gospel. After the Gospel acclamation, the priest or deacon reads the Gospel.
9. Homily. A short homily on the readings. The Church's funeral rite says it should never be a eulogy.
10. Prayers of the faithful. Prayers for the person who has died, for the family and for everyone present, read by the deacon or a reader.
11. Preparation of the gifts. Family members or friends bring the bread and wine to the altar.
12. Liturgy of the Eucharist. The Eucharistic Prayer, the Lord's Prayer and Communion, often with a hymn during Communion, and then the prayer after Communion.
13. Final commendation. The farewell. The priest invites everyone to pray, and there is a silence. The coffin may be sprinkled with holy water and incensed, the song of farewell is sung, and the priest says the prayer of commendation.
14. Procession. The coffin is carried out on its way to the committal, while a hymn is sung. A program may call this the recessional.

If the coffin was received into the church the evening before, at a vigil held there, the Mass begins in the usual way instead of with the reception.

Where words of remembrance fit

The homily speaks about the readings and the Christian hope. It may draw on the person's life, but it is not a eulogy. The rite does allow a member or a friend of the family to speak in remembrance before the final commendation begins, after the prayer after Communion. These words are brief and are not a life story either: some dioceses ask that they speak of the person's faith and character through one or two examples, and suggest printing the full obituary in the program instead.

Parishes and dioceses set their own guidelines for these words, and they differ. Some ask for a single speaker and three to five minutes, about one typed page, prepared ahead and read through with the priest. Some need the pastor's permission. Ask before you invite anyone to speak.

Longer tributes suit other moments: the vigil, where several people can speak, the committal at the grave, or the luncheon afterward. Stories, poems and favorite songs fit there more easily than in the Mass.

In Harold Pruitt's program, the words of remembrance by his daughter, Catherine, come after the Communion hymn and before the final commendation.

What the program lists

A program for a funeral Mass carries what any funeral program does, and a few things of its own:

• The service. "Mass of Christian Burial", with the day, date and time, the church, and the priest who celebrates the Mass. Harold's reads Church of the Sacred Heart, with Fr. Dominic Nwosu.
• The readings, with their references and readers, the psalm, and the Gospel reference.
• The hymns, by title.
• The people taking part: the readers, the gift bearers, those placing the pall, the pallbearers and the speaker for the words of remembrance.
• The interment, if the burial follows the Mass.

The heart of Harold's program, from the first reading to the end, reads:

• First Reading — Wisdom 3:1–9, read by Catherine Pruitt
• Responsorial Psalm — The Lord Is My Shepherd
• Second Reading — Romans 8:31b–35, 37–39, read by James Pruitt
• Gospel — John 14:1–6
• Homily — Fr. Dominic Nwosu
• Prayers of the Faithful
• Communion Hymn — Panis Angelicus
• Words of Remembrance — Catherine Pruitt
• Final Commendation
• Recessional — How Great Thou Art

Before these come the greeting and sprinkling at the church door and the entrance hymn, "Be Not Afraid". His back page names his six pallbearers, and says where everyone goes next: "Interment at Holy Cross Cemetery, followed by lunch in the parish hall."

Ask the parish whether it prints its own worship aid with the responses and music, so that the two do not repeat each other. If you would like the words of a hymn printed, ask first: reprinting a hymn that is still under copyright needs the copyright holder's permission, which many parishes have through an annual license.

Choosing the readings

The Church provides a set of readings for funerals. The parish can give you the list, and may have a planning sheet to fill in. There are Old Testament readings, a choice of psalms, New Testament readings and Gospels, and the family chooses among them with the priest or whoever plans funerals at the parish. Wisdom 3:1–9, Harold's first reading, is one of the Old Testament choices.

There may be one reading before the Gospel, or two. When there are two, each has its own reader, and families are encouraged to read. If no one in the family wants to, the parish can provide readers. The priest or deacon reads the Gospel.

The readings at Mass come from scripture. A favorite poem cannot take the place of one, but it can be printed in the program, or read at the vigil or the luncheon.

Music is chosen in the same way, with the parish musician. Diocesan guidelines ask that the music at Mass suit the liturgy, and some suggest keeping a favorite secular song for the vigil or the reception.

If you make the program here, the wizard offers a "Mass of Christian Burial" starting order that you change line by line to match the parish's order. There is more on the Catholic funeral program page.