Funeral
Planning a Funeral
Planning a funeral Mass for a loved one can be a difficult time. There are many considerations and decisions to be made which can lead to a lot of confusion. The pastoral staff at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church want to help. After the loss of a loved one and prior to the funeral, when you contact the church, a Bereavement Minister and the priest will work with you to help you plan the funeral. This section is written to explain the normal stages of the Rite of Christian Burial when a baptized Catholic dies.
The Rite of Christian Burial in the Catholic Church consists of three parts:
The Visitation
The visitation is the important first part of the Church’s funeral rites. It provides the opportunity for those close to the deceased to express their grief and to be together as they prepare for the funeral. Below are a few considerations when planning the visitation:
Frequently Asked Questions
When my loved one dies, whom should I call?
You should contact the funeral home and then have the funeral director contact the Church office to speak with the parish secretary who will put you in touch with a priest or deacon.
After a Catholic has already died, should we call for the priest for the Last Rites?
Yes, you should call the priest who will come to the home or hospital and pray the Prayers for the Dead. The Last Rites or Anointing of the Sick is only be administered to a person who is living. This may be done several times during a person’s serious illness or for those who are up in years.
Does a Catholic always have to have a Funeral Mass or is a graveside ceremony sufficient?
The Funeral Mass is the appropriate and worthy ceremony for the funeral of a Catholic. Considerations of time, finances or a desire to lessen grieving should not weigh against the Funeral Mass.
May Catholic be cremated?
A Catholic may be cremated before or after the prayer service or the Mass of Christian Burial. In either case the ashes (cremains) should be buried in a cemetery, placed in a mausoleum, or in a columbarium as soon as possible; the ashes should not be kept in the home indefinitely, or enshrined, or divided among family members in keep-sakes. Because the deceased person was consecrated in Baptism, the appropriate honor should be given their cremains.
What if we only have a few family members?
The Funeral Mass may be celebrated in the Church or in Saint Francis De Sales Chapel (for a very small number).
Are there times when a Mass would not be appropriate?
Yes, if a person was not a Catholic or not a practicing Catholic, a prayer service at the funeral home or at the graveside might be more appropriate. The priest or deacon can help with this decision.
Can a non-Catholic spouse be buried from a Catholic Church?
Yes, if the non-Catholic did not have a church of his/her own and the Catholic family member requests it, the funeral, including the Mass can be celebrated.
Columbarium
Please call Deacon Wally Haarsgaard at 336-884-5352, or email [email protected] , for inquiries and/or purchases of niches.
Planning a funeral Mass for a loved one can be a difficult time. There are many considerations and decisions to be made which can lead to a lot of confusion. The pastoral staff at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church want to help. After the loss of a loved one and prior to the funeral, when you contact the church, a Bereavement Minister and the priest will work with you to help you plan the funeral. This section is written to explain the normal stages of the Rite of Christian Burial when a baptized Catholic dies.
The Rite of Christian Burial in the Catholic Church consists of three parts:
- The visitation (with or without a prayer service).
- The Mass of Christian Burial.
- The Internment at the Cemetery.
The Visitation
The visitation is the important first part of the Church’s funeral rites. It provides the opportunity for those close to the deceased to express their grief and to be together as they prepare for the funeral. Below are a few considerations when planning the visitation:
- The family has the choice of have the viewing/visitation at the funeral home or IHM Gathering Space. If the choice is the funeral home, the custom is to have the viewing the evening before the Funeral Mass. If the choice is the Gathering Space at IHM, it is usually an hour before the Funeral Mass.
- The visitation is the appropriate time for members of the family and friends to share memories of the deceased or to pay tribute to the deceased. This eulogy may be offered at the funeral home, or in the Gathering Space at IHM Church as a part of the Mass, before the reception of the body or the cremains.
- It is preferred that a brief eulogy (2-5 minutes) be offered by one person prior to the service or prior to the start of the Funeral Mass.
- It is the appropriate time to display photographs and other objects which were dear to the deceased during the visitation. It is also the appropriate time to play a favorite secular piece of music or song during the visitation or at its close. The prayer service or Mass of Christian burial should only include hymns or religious songs.
Frequently Asked Questions
When my loved one dies, whom should I call?
You should contact the funeral home and then have the funeral director contact the Church office to speak with the parish secretary who will put you in touch with a priest or deacon.
After a Catholic has already died, should we call for the priest for the Last Rites?
Yes, you should call the priest who will come to the home or hospital and pray the Prayers for the Dead. The Last Rites or Anointing of the Sick is only be administered to a person who is living. This may be done several times during a person’s serious illness or for those who are up in years.
Does a Catholic always have to have a Funeral Mass or is a graveside ceremony sufficient?
The Funeral Mass is the appropriate and worthy ceremony for the funeral of a Catholic. Considerations of time, finances or a desire to lessen grieving should not weigh against the Funeral Mass.
May Catholic be cremated?
A Catholic may be cremated before or after the prayer service or the Mass of Christian Burial. In either case the ashes (cremains) should be buried in a cemetery, placed in a mausoleum, or in a columbarium as soon as possible; the ashes should not be kept in the home indefinitely, or enshrined, or divided among family members in keep-sakes. Because the deceased person was consecrated in Baptism, the appropriate honor should be given their cremains.
What if we only have a few family members?
The Funeral Mass may be celebrated in the Church or in Saint Francis De Sales Chapel (for a very small number).
Are there times when a Mass would not be appropriate?
Yes, if a person was not a Catholic or not a practicing Catholic, a prayer service at the funeral home or at the graveside might be more appropriate. The priest or deacon can help with this decision.
Can a non-Catholic spouse be buried from a Catholic Church?
Yes, if the non-Catholic did not have a church of his/her own and the Catholic family member requests it, the funeral, including the Mass can be celebrated.
Columbarium
Please call Deacon Wally Haarsgaard at 336-884-5352, or email [email protected] , for inquiries and/or purchases of niches.
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Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church 4145 Johnson Street High Point NC 27265 Phone: 336-869-7739 Church Office Hours: Monday - Thursday: 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM Friday: 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM Offices closed daily 12:30 PM - 1:00 PM |
