Funerals
We experience confusion and a sense of bewilderment when we lose someone. We often feel that we don’t know whom to contact when it happens. We feel that we have to contact the priest, the church, the cemetery, the newspaper—all these people. We ask ourselves, “How can I do everything?” Thankfully, you don’t have to do everything. Here are the first steps you should take:
First, select a funeral home. After you contact the funeral home they will arrange a time for you to meet with them. When you do meet with the people from the funeral home, they will ask you when and where you would like to have the funeral. They will in turn contact the church with your wishes. In the case of our parish we always try to accommodate your wishes as best as we can. All of this will depend on whether the church is available at the time and date you select. Please keep in mind that there are certain days when funeral masses are not allowed by Canon Law, e.g., Sundays and major Feast Days. The Funeral Home will make arrangements with the cemetery. They will also contact the military if the deceased served in the Armed Forces. In other words, the funeral home will make all of these arrangements for you.
Second – Arrange to meet with a member of our St. Luke Funeral Ministry Team.
After the Parish is contacted by the funeral home we assign the funeral to a member of our Funeral Team. That person will contact the family and ask to meet with them before the funeral. The Funeral Team helps the family plan the Funeral Liturgy. The members of the Funeral Team have a complete package which contains the Readings and the Music that are appropriate. The family will be asked to select the Readings for the Mass, the Readers, and the music for the Mass. This wonderful ministry was started by Mrs. Nancy Davis. Under her direction the ministry has flourished. Many of the families contact Nancy and the Funeral Team after the funeral to thank them for the care they were given in their time of grief by these ministers.
To assist you with this planning, we have included below, a copy of our Funeral Planning Booklet with links to the Scripture Readings and Music used in our Funeral Liturgy.
St. Luke Funeral and Obituary Planning Booklet
This is a time when we can spotlight the Funeral Team and the great work that they do here at the parish. They are volunteers who provide invaluable assistance to the family during their time of grief. They receive on-the-job training from members of the team. We are always looking for new members. If you think you might be interested in serving in this important ministry please contact our Ministry Hotline at 848-226-6218.
