The Catholic Church has many prayer moments surrounding the death of a loved one. At the Funeral and at other times of prayer, we celebrate the life, death and resurrection of Christ and how through baptism, the deceased shares in the life of Christ. There is a communal dimension to this prayer. The Funeral is offered by the Church community as a memorial of Christ’s death and resurrection. Emphasis on the deceased should not overshadow the paschal mystery of the Lord’s death and resurrection.
Music
In her wisdom the Church says: “Music is integral to the funeral rites, it allows the community to express convictions and feelings that words alone fail to convey.” (Order of Christian Funerals, [OCF] # 30) for this reason, there is much music for the funeral Mass. The sung texts for the funeral Mass are taken from Scripture.
Music serves to express what words alone cannot. Music that is sung by all those gathered for the occasion unites the faithful in the shared experience of prayer. Sacred music that is chosen also conveys the Christian meaning of sharing in the paschal mystery of Christ.
Pre-recorded music and secular music is not appropriate for a Catholic Funeral. There are certain parts of the Catholic Mass that are always sung.
The Vigil
The vigil or “wake” is a time to remember, to visit, to grieve, and to pray. This is an excellent time to play recordings or sing songs of a secular nature that are important to the family or were favorites of the loved one, since they can be inappropriate in church.
Contacting a Funeral home
When a loved one dies, it may be difficult to make decisions right away; the funeral home will help you with the Funeral preparation. They will call to the parish office and notify the pastor of the death of the person and request a tentative date and priest for the funeral.
Preparing the Liturgy for the Mass of Christian Burial
Call to the office and arrange a meeting with the priest who will preside the Funeral Mass. The priest will help the family of the deceased to select the scripture reading by which God will speak to them in their moment of grief.
The family will also meet with the Director of Music of SSPP to select appropriate hymns for the Mass.