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, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 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.