If the deceased is a child, other options may be available and should be discussed personally with the pastor or deacon who will assist you in the funeral planning.

After the Second Vatican Council the Order for Christian Funerals was revised into a three-part liturgy.

The first part is the Vigil for the Deceased,
the second the Funeral Mass,
and the third, the Rite of Committal.

The Vigil for the Deceased may be celebrated at a Funeral Home or in the Church proper. This part of the funeral has received the most attention because of some changes. 

The rosary, that was done by the family while the priest did the prayers in Latin, has been replaced by a service of Scripture and petitions. Now that the ritual is in the vernacular language, all are able to participate and understand the Wake Service. 

Families may still have the devotional prayer of a rosary, but it is led normally by lay people (normally a friend or a family member). The church requires priests and deacons to do the Vigil.

For the funeral, Christian symbols (cross, bible, rosary, scapular, etc.) may be placed on the casket at the beginning of the Funeral Mass. All secular items, like flags or medals of honor are important, but not part of the Funeral Mass because we celebrate our being united in Baptism.

There are some misconceptions about who may have a funeral. 

A person who has committed suicide may have the Order for Christian Funerals. 

A child who has not been baptized and has died before baptism. 

Even a non-baptized adult may have a funeral Mass, since it is for the living family members that we celebrate Eucharist. This is of course, unless the non-baptized would have been publically opposed to this.

One may be cremated now, however, it is still preferable to have the body present for psychological reasons. The cremation may be done at a later time. Also funeral directors have let it be known to our parish staff that they want to be able to provide the most affordable funeral and assistance.

THE FUNERAL SERVICE OR THE FUNERAL MASS

The Funeral Mass is the principal Parish celebration following the death of a Catholic Christian.

In some cases, particularly those in which the deceased had not been faithfully practicing the Catholic faith, or cases in which there are very few Catholic members of the deceased's family present at the liturgy, it may be preferable to celebrate a funeral service rather than a Funeral Mass. 

The priest or deacon who is working with you in the funeral planning will assist in determining whether a funeral service or Funeral Mass will be celebrated.

The priest or deacon will also discuss the proper sequences of events involved in the actual celebration of the Funeral Mass and all that is involved when a funeral service is held either at the church or the funeral home.

---

DAYS ON WHICH YOU CAN NOT HAVE A FUNERAL MASS:

Due to the special character of the following days, the Church does not permit a Funeral Mass to be celebrated on:

• Holy Thursday
• Good Friday
• Holy Saturday
• The Sundays of Advent, Lent or the Easter season
• Solemnities which are Holy Days of Obligation.

If necessary, a funeral service could be celebrated on some of these days, with a Memorial Mass to be scheduled at a later date.

Eulogy

The Catholic Church allows a eulogy to be spoken before the end of the vigil service and before the end of the funeral liturgy. “A member or a friend of the family may speak in remembrance of the deceased.”

 After the Gospel, however, a brief homily based on the readings should always be given, “never any kind of eulogy” (Order of Christian Funerals 141).

The homily holds pride of place in every liturgy. At a funeral, the homily should proclaim the central Christian beliefs about life and death: God's undying love, the death and resurrection of Jesus, the consolation and strength which help the Christian face death with hope of eternal life.

The funeral homily brings the comforting word of God to the mourners. Although it frequently draws from the example of the deceased's life, the homily is not intended as a biographical summary.

To allow the good deeds of the deceased to be presented to the community, the liturgy also permits a spoken remembrance. 

This may occur near the end of the service, apart from the homily. The funeral rites offer no further advice about the content of this talk. 

The one who prepares it should keep in mind the nature of the celebration. 

The presentation may recall those aspects of the deceased which will inspire the community to renew its commitment to Christ. 

Brevity is advisable, because this talk should not detract from the Liturgy of the Word nor from the prayers for the deceased. A few details should suffice.

At some vigil services, the presider allows mourners spontaneously to share memories of the deceased. Such a ritual may kindle the community's memory of the deceased by allowing those who grieve to share their insight. Even so, a few memories should suffice. 

In this way the remembrance will not overshadow the reason for the gathering: the proclamation of redemption in Jesus Christ.