The Funeral Mass

The Funeral Mass is the central liturgical celebration, given by the Christian community for the deceased, to express and experience the faith we have in the eternal life of our loved one.

When one of its members dies, the Church encourages the celebration of the funeral liturgy with a Mass. When Mass cannot be celebrated, a funeral liturgy outside the Mass can be celebrated at the church or in the funeral home.

At the Funeral Mass, the Church gathers with the family and friends of the deceased to give praise and thanks to God for Christ's victory over sin and death, to commend the deceased loved one to God's tender mercy and compassion, and to seek strength and comfort as we participate in the Paschal Mystery.

Since the Eucharistic Liturgy is a uniting of ourselves to the communion of saints (the Church on earth and the Church in heaven), it provides an experience of the continuity that exists with your deceased loved one that reaches beyond the boundaries of death.

The funeral Mass, therefore, is an act of worship and celebration, and not merely an expression of grief.