Arranging a Funeral Liturgy
This webpage is to help you prepare the funeral of a family member. We will meet and guide you through the choices to be made. And you will be supported by the funeral director you have chosen.
The contact details of the Parish Priest are:
Fr Adrian Porter sj
07935 855 175
ejcparishpriest@jesuit.org.uk
Funeral Director
The funeral director will manage the whole funeral process on your behalf and give good guidance and support in what needs to be done. They are used to liaising with the church and there will be good communication between ourselves and whichever funeral director you have chosen.
If you have yet to find a funeral director, there are two firms we most often work with:
William Purves Funeral Directors
0131 447 5858
www.williampurves.co.uk
Thomas Marin Funeral Directors
0131 341 3709
www.dignityfunerals.co.uk
But there are many more firms and we will, of course, work with any funeral director you choose.
The Funeral Liturgy of Catholic Church
The funeral liturgy of the Catholic Church is made up of prayers, readings, actions and symbols, many of them very ancient.
You can either have a Requiem Mass or a Funeral Service without the Mass. You can discuss this decision with the priest. Whichever you decide, the funeral liturgy of the Catholic Church does five things:
we proclaim the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and our sure hope that we will share in his resurrection;
we pray for the repose of the soul of the deceased person;
we ask God’s mercy on his/her faults and failings;
we pray for the comfort of the bereaved;
and we take the body to its place of rest.
While there is some flexibility in the choice of prayers and readings, the Church’s liturgy does follow an ancient pattern and it is not possible to add or take away very much. If you would like secular songs or poems and readings these may be better done at a wake or reception or memorial service. But please do talk to us about anything that is especially important for you.
The coffin is usually brought to the church shortly before the funeral liturgy begins. It is met at the door and sprinkled with holy water, a reminder of the deceased’s baptism. The Easter (Paschal) Candle is lit, a reminder of the resurrection of Jesus Christ in which we share, and a Bible is placed on the coffin, a reminder of the Christian gospel by which the deceased was called to live.
Every Mass and liturgy which takes place in the parish church is public. If you have chosen a Requiem Mass, this will usually be the normal weekday Mass at 12.30pm. Please expect parishioners to be present in addition to family and those you have invited.
Please note that only Catholics are offered communion in the Catholic Church. Those attending who are not Catholic are warmly welcome to come forward for a blessing at the time of communion.
At the end of the Requiem Mass or Funeral Service comes the Final Commendation when the prayers bid farewell to the deceased and we begin the journey to his/her place of rest.
Burial or Cremation?
The choice of burial or cremation is now a free one for Catholics and entirely up to you. Around 70-80% of funerals in Edinburgh are now cremations. Your funeral director will be able to talk you through the practicalities of this choice.
The Priest
A priest from the Jesuit Community at Sacred Heart can preside at the funeral liturgy or you are welcome to invite a Catholic priest known to the family if you prefer.
The priest will take responsibility for making sure everything in the church and at the graveside or crematorium goes smoothly. If he does not know the deceased or the family, he will want to know a little so he can speak about the person in the course of the liturgy. There will be an opportunity to meet the priest a week or so before the funeral to do this.
Readings & Readers
Whether you are having a Requiem Mass or a Funeral Service without Mass, there will usually be two readings: one from the Old Testament or New Testament letters and one from the Gospels. We will provide you with a booklet containing all the readings suggested by the Church. You are free to choose other readings but they must always be from the Bible.
If there is a non-Scriptural poem or reading that you especially want to include, this would be done either at the Final Commendation (at the end of the Mass or Service) or at the graveside or crematorium.
We need two or three readers: one for the reading, one for the psalm (unless it is to be sung), and one for the bidding prayers.
Music
You can choose to have music and hymns at the funeral liturgy or not. The music is part of the liturgy and needs to reflect what the liturgy is about. You may already have particular hymns or instrumental music in mind or you can discuss this with the priest. You are welcome to borrow a hymn book to search out suitable hymns or you can find most hymns online on YouTube or at hymnary.org
We have a number of organists at Sacred Heart Church who may be available to play at a funeral. The organist’s fee is set by the Musicians’ Union and is currently £123.50. If you wish to have other musicians (instrumentalists or singers) they will be most welcome. Rehearsal time in the church can be arranged.
Eulogy
If you would like a family member to speak a eulogy (a celebration of the person’s life) this can be incorporated into the Final Commendation at the end. It is best to prepare and print out the text as emotions can be strong on the day and having a clear written text helps make sure the eulogy is well delivered. The eulogy should not be more than 4 or 5 minutes long. If a longer celebration and sharing of memories is desired, this is best done at the reception after the funeral.
Special Circumstances
Please alert us if there are special circumstances which need to be taken into consideration at this funeral – for example if the person has died in unusual circumstances, or if there will be an unusually large number of attendees, or if there will be representation from national or local government or other dignitaries, or the armed forces, or uniformed organizations, etc.
Order of Service Booklet
You can choose to have an order of service booklet or not. The order of service booklet can include just the hymns or it can include all the prayers, readings and hymns of the Mass or Funeral Service. If you are expecting many people who are unfamiliar with the Catholic funeral liturgy, we would recommend the full text booklet – this enables people to participate and puts them at their ease in an unfamiliar environment.
Once we have agreed the readings, prayers and hymns, we can provide the text digitally for you and then you have the choice of getting it printed yourself or asking the funeral director to do it for you.
Some families like to have a photo of the deceased on the cover or back of the booklet; and sometimes also a brief biography (which should be no more than a page). You can discuss this with the priest when you meet and, if you decide to include these features, can send digital copies of the picture and biography for inclusion in the booklet.
Livestreaming
It is possible to livestream or record the funeral, especially if there are relatives who cannot attend in person and this would enable them to participate. We do not arrange this ourselves but there are many providers of this service including funeralstreamingscotland.co.uk
Flowers
The decision to have flowers or not, and how many, is entirely yours. There can be flowers (usually wreaths of one kind or other) on the coffin and also flower arrangements near the altar.
We have an arrangement with Ollie & Ivy Flowers – they know us well and supply flowers for the church each week. You are, of course, free to arrange flowers with any florist you wish.
Ollie & Ivy Flowers
40 Comiston Road, Edinburgh EH10 5QQ
0131 452 9943
www.ollieandivyflowers.com
info@ollieandivyflowers.com
Flowers on the coffin are taken in the hearse to the graveside or crematorium. Flowers in the church can be left in the church (for which we are grateful) or, if you prefer, you can take them away after the funeral.
Collection
You may wish to have a collection at the end of the Requiem Mass or Funeral Service in aid of a charity which was supported by the deceased or for a cause in which they were interested. The invitation to contribute to charity is often asked for instead of flowers. Ask your funeral director and they will arrange a collection box. We will put a note explaining the collection in the order of service booklet.
What happens at the graveside?
The service at the graveside is quite brief and consists of prayers blessing the grave and asking God to take the deceased into the rest of his eternal light. The coffin is lowered into the grave and earth is scattered into the grave, a symbol of burial. You can choose to scatter earth yourself or not as you wish.
What happens at the crematorium?
The service is straightforward and quite brief. There are prayers of committal asking God to open the gates of paradise and to raise the deceased person to new life on the last day. The coffin may remain in view until you leave or it can be removed behind a curtain. Speak to the priest and funeral director about what you want.
If the whole funeral liturgy takes place at the crematorium rather than in the church, there will usually be one or two Scripture readings in addition to the prayers. The service will last about 15-20 minutes.
Cost
Catholic churches do not charge for funerals or any other liturgy. However, should you wish and be in a position to make an offering, your donation is always gratefully received - the church has to be maintained, heated and lit. You can either make a donation directly to the church by cheque or bank transfer or you can ask the funeral director to do this for you. Our bank account details are:
Royal Bank of Scotland
Account name: Sacred Heart Edinburgh
Account number: 21268421
Sort code: 83-06-08
Help
Arranging a funeral is, for most people, an unfamiliar process and happens at a time of upset and grief. Please contact us and come to speak to us if there is anything you need to know or don’t understand. We are here to help as much as we can.