Thursday 11 July 2013

Knowing the Major Religious Rites of a Catholic Funeral

There a lot of practicing Catholics in San Francisco thus the most often asked questions in a funeral home San Francisco usually refers to Catholic funerals. When someone close to our heart pass away, we feel the need to respect the life that they had once lived. This includes respecting the religion that he or she believes in. When a catholic dies, the funeral will undergo three major religious rites which are the wake, the Requiem Mass and the burial. Let’s get to know each rite better.

The Wake

This is also called as the Vigil where the loved ones, family members and friends gather so they can offer prayers for the deceases. During this time, the life of the deceased will also be reminisced and reflected upon. This major rite can be done either at the home of the deceased, the church or could also be done in a funeral home. This major rite is done before the funeral mass and before the deceased gets buried. The priest usually presides over this sacrament however a layperson or a deacon that had been trained to perform the sacrament can also preside as a substitute.

The Requiem Mass

Others call it as the celebration of the Eucharist while others call it as the mass the Christian Burial. On this major religious rite, the focus is on God and not the one who passed away. Here, the Catholics are reminded that God is calling us back as our creator and the one who died on the cross for us. The faith of the Catholics is largely demonstrated in the celebration of this Requiem Mass. It demonstrates the abundance of God’s mercy, God’s resurrection and his love for us that cannot be taken away even by death. The most important part of this celebration is the Eucharist or the Holy Communion. Singing hymns, reading scriptures and joining the Eucharist can be expected from the family and friends of the deceased. The priest on the other hand will give the funeral sermon and will talk about the death as well as resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The Burial

This is also called as the committal of the body or the Rite of Committal. This is the last deed for a Catholic funeral and is done at the burial site. There are no definite prayers for this rite but usually the prayers express the finality of the funeral by burying the deceased to its final resting place. The hopes that the deceased experience the glory of resurrection are also expressed on the prayers done at the burial.

A reputable Funeral home in San Francisco CA should be able to explain these rites to you in detail as well as tell you how they can assist the family of the deceased to perform these Catholic major rites. They should also be able to assist you in decision-making during such challenging time. You can visit driscollsmortuary.com to get to know more about the different services that a funeral home can offer.