Pre-Plan a Funeral
A Catholic funeral liturgy brings great consolation to family and friends of the deceased.
If you would like to have a funeral service at St. Emily's, please have your funeral home make the arrangements. They will help you coordinate many of the details of the funeral. A priest or deacon will also meet with you to help with your spiritual needs. The following materials are available to assist families in preparing for the funeral.
MUSIC:
Music for the funeral (must, for the most part, be found in the Sunday Missal--please consult with your parish's liturgist).
If the church has a cantor available, it is preferred that the “church cantor” be used to lead the congregation at Mass.
A soloist (friend of family, etc.) may be used to sing/lead a prelude song before the Mass. Any song leading during the Mass must be lead by a Catholic in good standing.
Click the button below for a list of suggested hymns to use for each need.
Clarification on Cremation:
At a meeting of the clergy in the Brainerd Deanery, we found it important to offer some clarification on the practice of Cremation. There is much confusion that surrounds the practice of Cremation, so we are offering these thoughts to help all our parishioners as they make decisions regarding their final disposition, or that of their loved ones. Since the Church’s long-standing tradition has been a bodily burial, it still remains the preferred method of final disposition. When cremation is chosen, the Church does prefer that the body of the deceased be present for the vigil and the funeral mass, since the presence of the body better expresses the values which the Church affirms in these rites. In this scenario, following the funeral liturgy at the parish church, after the cremation is completed, the family would gather as soon as possible for the Rite of Committal at the cemetery.
Directive for Treatment of Cremated Remains of the Body for Catholics.
In line with a new directive from Rome of how Catholics should handle cremated remains of their loved ones, as priests of Brainerd Deanery we would like to ask all our funeral directors to make it clear as much possible these basic guidelines when families come to prepare the funeral of their loved ones.
1. We know Cremation of the body quickly reduces the body to about four to ten pounds of bone fragments. The Church requires that these remains of the body be placed in a respectful vessel and treated in the exact same way that a family would treat a body in a casket.
2. Since the human body has an eternal destiny in any form, the Church requires that cremated remains of a body be buried or entombed immediately after the Funeral in the same timely manner as a body.
3. Cremated remains of a loved one are Not to be scattered, kept at home or divided into other vessels among family members, just as it is clear that these practices would never be done to a body in a casket. These practices are not in keeping with the Church’s requirement that a body is accorded great honor even after death. Thus, the new directive gives the pastors the right to deny a Catholic funeral if these basic guidelines are not followed.
All of the teachings on the treatment of cremated remains of the body correspond with the Christian’s foundational belief in eternal life—both body and soul—in Jesus Christ among the Communion of Saints. We pray and hope that we can be instruments of mercy as partners of this important ministry to bury the dead with dignity they deserve to the people we love and serve. We encourage all our parishioners to speak with their clergy regarding any questions they may have!
The Priests of the Brainerd Deanery
PLEASE NOTE IF YOU PLAN TO HAVE A FUNERAL LUNCHEON:
Our social hall will only accommodate a maximum of 120 people.
This is our capacity as recommended by our insurance carrier.
If you are expecting more than 120 diners for a lunch, it may be worth exploring other options. Emily’s City Hall is less than ½ block from the church and can sometimes accommodate things like this.
If the lunch is offsite: the food, drinks, catering, clean-up, etc. is provided by the family. The church is not responsible for lunches held offsite.
Another option would be for the family to communicate ahead of time to those coming for the funeral that they may need to eat in shifts if attendance goes over 120. If this is the route you would like to use, please communicate that with the parish office and/or the funeral home and have them pass it on to the office.
We ask that any and all food and drink stay within the social hall at all times and not be brought in to other areas of the building.
HELP WITH DETAILS:
This is just a general guideline to help you plan an event that most of us would rather not think about.
By doing this advance planning, you are giving your family and friends one of the greatest gifts of kindness and peace that anyone could give at such a sorrowful time. Bless you for your love and consideration!
Once your choices have been made, please keep a copy of this information where your family and/or friends can access it and/or give your parish office a copy to have on hand for when the time comes that you go home to the Father.
FUNERAL PLANS FOR ____________________________________________
Date plans made: _____________________________________________________
PESKY DETAILS
Date these plans were made _____________________________________
The executor of my estate is __________________________________________
Phone __________________________________________
I would like my funeral held at ________________________________________
Address ________________________________________
Phone Number ________________________________________
Contact person ________________________________________
I have a cemetery lot at ________________________________________
City/State ________________________________________
The deed for the lot is located: _______________________________________
I don’t have a cemetery lot
I would like to be buried at ________________________________________
City/State ________________________________________
I prefer full body burial ________ cremation _______
(Catholics MUST have cremains interred –it is preferred within day(s) of the funeral.
I have a pre-paid funeral policy with ______________________________________
Address ______________________________________
Phone ______________________________________
Contact person ______________________________________
My copy of paperwork is stored in ______________________________________
I do not have a pre-paid funeral policy but,
I would like my arrangements handled by _______________________Funeral Home
Address __________________________________
Phone __________________________________
Special arrangements that I have already made in preparation for my funeral:
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
These arrangements are written down and filed away at:
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Wake/Rosary/Vigil Service (usually the day/night before the funeral)
People may come to the church or funeral home and gather together to pay final respects to the deceased. There may be quiet, respectful music playing in the background.
A good time to have any favorite hymns and/or appropriate songs/music (secular) played that may not fit into the funeral Mass.
I prefer a Wake/Rosary/Vigil Service Yes, at the church ______
Yes, at the funeral home ______
No, just visitation before the funeral _____
Songs I would like played at the wake:
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
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