A simple funeral order of service

What an order of service is

The order of service is the running order of the funeral, printed so that everyone can follow it. It tells guests what comes next, when to join in a hymn, and who is speaking. In a folded program it sits inside, near the time and place of the service.

It is also a record. Years later, the program is how the family remembers which hymns were sung and who read.

A simple traditional order

This is a common order for a funeral in a church or a funeral home chapel. Treat it as a place to start rather than a rule. Churches and officiants have their own orders, and yours may add parts, leave some out, or move them.

1. Processional. The family comes in, with the casket if there is one, often while music plays.
2. Welcome and opening prayer. The officiant greets everyone, says why you have gathered, and opens with a prayer.
3. Hymn. A first hymn for everyone to sing. Print the title, and the number too if the church uses hymnals.
4. Scripture reading. One reading or more, often one from the Old Testament and one from the New, each read by a relative or a friend.
5. Obituary reading. Someone reads the life story aloud. If it will not be read, the line can say "Obituary (read silently)", and guests read it in the program.
6. Reflections. A few people share short memories.
7. Eulogy. One longer tribute, by a family member, a friend or the officiant.
8. Hymn. A second hymn, often one the person loved.
9. Benediction. The closing blessing.
10. Recessional. The casket and the family leave first, and the guests follow.

A church service often adds a sermon after the readings, and prayers for the family near the end. Some services open with a prelude and close with a postlude, the music before and after.

Walter's order of service

Walter Hale's funeral was held at St. Andrew's Church, with Rev. Michael Ostrowski officiating. His family printed this order:

1. Processional
2. Welcome — Rev. Michael Ostrowski
3. Hymn — Eternal Father, Strong to Save
4. Reading — Psalm 107, read by Anne Hale
5. Remembrances — His grandchildren
6. Eulogy — David Hale
7. Hymn — Abide With Me
8. Commendation
9. Recessional

It follows the simple order with changes of its own. There is one reading, Psalm 107, which speaks of sailors on the sea, a fitting choice for a boat builder. The remembrances come from his grandchildren. His life story is printed in the program rather than read aloud. And the service ends with a commendation, prayers that entrust him to God, before the recessional.

Who decides the order

Three people or groups shape the order, and it helps to know which decisions belong to whom.

• The officiant. In a church, the minister or priest knows the order the church follows and has the final say over what goes in it. Many will sit down with the family and go through it. Some churches ask to see the program before it is printed, so send a draft early.
• The funeral director. The funeral director plans the day with you at the arrangement meeting, and coordinates the rest: the times, the cars, and the arrangements with the cemetery or crematory.
• The family. Within the frame the officiant gives, the family chooses the readings, the music and who will speak.

If the service is at a funeral home and no church is involved, the funeral director and whoever leads the service will work out the order with you.

Naming the people and the pieces

Give each part its own line, with the part first and the detail after it:

• Hymn — Abide With Me
• Reading — Psalm 107, read by Anne Hale
• Eulogy — David Hale

Name hymns by their title, and readings by book, chapter and verses. Name people as the guests know them, and a group as a group, such as "his grandchildren". Check the spelling of every name with someone who knows, and the hymn titles with the officiant or the musician.

Leave out anything guests do not need in order to follow. The program does not have to show every prayer, and a line such as "Prayers" can stand for several. Keep each line short enough to fit across a narrow panel.

The order of service template starts from this common order. If you make the program here, the wizard offers it as the "Traditional service" starting order, to change line by line, and each line has a part and a detail, such as a hymn name, a reading or who is speaking.

Variations

A service without religion

A service without religion can keep the same shape with different pieces. Music takes the place of hymns, and poems or prose take the place of scripture. At the center is a tribute that tells the story of the person's life, and closing words take the place of the benediction. A family member, a friend or a celebrant can lead it.

Humanist ceremonies often include a time of reflection: a few moments for private thoughts, in silence or with music. There is a fuller example in the celebration of life order of service.

Adding a slideshow

A slideshow can play as guests arrive, or have its own place in the order, perhaps after the remembrances. Give it a line of its own, "Slideshow", so guests know to watch. Ask the church or the funeral home first: some want to see a presentation a day or two ahead, and some set a limit on its length.

A moment of silence

A line such as "A moment of silence" tells guests that the quiet is intended. It fits after the eulogy or just before the closing words.

When a tradition sets the order

A Catholic funeral Mass follows the Church's rite, and a homegoing has an order of its own that the pastor sets. The guides to the Catholic funeral Mass and to the homegoing service go through each, step by step.