Funerals & Bereavement
Funeral Liturgy Preparation
“In Christ the hope of blessed resurrection has dawned, that those saddened by the certainty of dying might be consoled by the promise of immortality to come. Indeed, for your faithful, Lord, life is changed not ended, and, when this earthly dwelling turns to dust, an eternal dwelling is made ready for them in heaven."
(from the Roman Missal prayers for a funeral)
Losing a loved one is not easy, but the church’s funeral rituals help us to honor the life of the one we love and affirm our faith in the gift of eternal life given to us by Jesus Christ. We want to accompany you through this time of loss as we place our trust in the promise of the resurrection. Below are links to the planning guide, Scripture readings and petitions for funeral rites, and a list of song suggestions. We invite you to reach out to our Pastoral Minister, Chris Kingsley or Music Director, Peg Lacy for help and guidance.
Once a death occurs:
- The family (or the facility) contacts the mortuary regarding the body. Often, the family notifies the Parish, too.
- The family meets with the mortuary staff to work through desired dates/times for the service and to identify other planning needs.
- The mortuary confers with the Parish on the availability of the church and clergy, and a date is confirmed.
Planning the Funeral Services
A planning meeting will be set with the Priest and Pastoral Minister to share about your loved one and review the plans for the funeral services. We offer a comprehensive funeral planning guide to assist with the planning process at the time of death or when pre-planning. Contact Jenni for more information.
Music Selection Information
Sacred Music is integral to the liturgical life of the Church’s worship of God. Because the funeral Mass is a public act of liturgical worship of the Church, the parish is ultimately responsible for the music in the liturgy to ensure that the music for the funeral is sacred in nature and reflects the idea of resurrection and hope. The music for the funeral liturgy is selected with the assistance of the Music Director, who will help choose music selections that are suitable to the sacred nature of the funeral Mass. St. Margaret Mary musicians and cantors will provide music for all funerals. If a family requests, additional qualified soloists or instrumentalists may be added at the discretion of the Music Director.
Funeral Luncheon Information
So that we may reach out as a Christian Community in time of bereavement, a funeral luncheon for the family and friends of those buried from St. Margaret Mary parish can be coordinated by the SMM Funeral Luncheon Committee or may be catered through a catering company. When organizing the funeral service, a member of the pastoral team will inquire whether you hope to utilize the parish facilities for a luncheon.
Funeral Luncheons are offered immediately following the burial or, if the internment is at a later time or the cemetery is a great distance away, following the funeral mass. These are hosted in the Suneg Center located in the lower level of the church with a comfortable seating capacity of 100-120. Depending on availability, luncheons for larger groups may be held in the Raynor Center.
As an outreach to those facing the loss of a loved one, a luncheon is offered through our Funeral Luncheon Committee. This ministry provides physical and emotional support to grieving family and friends by providing a meal following a funeral or memorial Mass. Volunteers arrange, prepare, set up, serve, and clean up a hot or cold meal upon request. Additional volunteer opportunities include picking up food items prior to the luncheon and delivering excess food to shelters after the funeral. Sign Up Genius is used to coordinate and communicate with volunteers.
To become involved in the funeral luncheon ministry, contact Chris Kingsley, Pastoral Minister, at 402/558-2255 ext. 141 or [email protected]
The Bereavement Ministry demonstrates Christ's love with visits and phone calls to parish families who buried a loved one through SMM. Volunteers sensitively and compassionately connect with a primary family member multiple times throughout the first year after their loved one's passing. The spiritual focus of this ministry is to be a living example of Christ's words, "Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted." (Mt 5:4) Volunteers are offered training on the protocols for the visit and are required to be certified through the Archdiocesan Safe Environment Circle of Care program.
To become involved, contact: Anne Raynor at 402-639-8479.