Mass of Christian Burial

In the face of death, the Church confidently proclaims that God has created each person for eternal life and that Jesus, the Son of God, by his death and resurrection, has broken the chains of sin and death that bound humanity. At the death of a Christian, whose life of faith was begun in the waters of baptism and strengthened at the Eucharistic table, the Church intercedes on behalf of the deceased because of its confident belief that death is not the end nor does it break the bonds forged in life. The Church through its funeral rites commends the deceased to God’s merciful love and pleads for the forgiveness of their sins. The Church also ministers to the sorrowing and consoles them during this difficult time, for “if one member suffers in the body of Christ, all the members suffer with that member” (Order of Christian Funerals, no. 1, 4, 6, 8).

Please contact a funeral home first, who will help you arrange the Vigil service, at which a priest will offer prayers, as well as the Mass of Christian Burial here at St. Francis Xavier Church. It is imperative that family members offer a Mass of Christian Burial (Funeral Mass) for their deceased loved ones.

Typically, the family will meet with the Funeral Director to plan the funeral liturgy, including the music, readings, and those who will bring up the gifts at the offertory. It is not the custom for eulogies to be offered at the funeral Mass.

While no eulogy is permitted at a Mass of Christian Burial at St. Francis Xavier Church, a person may offer words of remembrance at the funeral home or committal at the cemetery according to the local custom of the funeral home.