“If, then, we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him.”
(Rom 6:8)
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May God bless you and bring comfort to you during this time of remembrance.
Our Lady of Lourdes Funeral Procedures
A. General Information
If you will be using services from a:
Funeral Home
- Contact your Funeral Home first.
- Your Funeral Home will contact Fr. David at (502) 896-0241 or dsanchez@ourlourdes.org, to schedule date and time of service.
- After date and time are confirmed by Fr. David, your family will be contacted by Ms. Dana Eckert to plan the Funeral Mass or Funeral Home Service.
- If Cremation is going to be used, the elements of your love one must be treated with dignity and respect. Please read the Catholic Directives on Cremation from the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith, Vatican at the end of the page (F). All the elements must be burried after the Funeral Mass.
- If the elements will be managed in another tradition, it is recommended that the service take place at the funeral home.
Cremation Services
- Contact Fr. David at (502) 896-0241 or dsanchez@ourlourdes.org to schedule date and time of service.
- After date and time are confirmed, you will be contacted by Ms. Dana Eckert at (502) 896-0241 to plan the Funeral Mass or Funeral Home Service.
- The elements must be managed in accordance with Catholic teaching on cremation. Please read (F) below on Catholic Teachings on Cremation.
- If the elements will be managed in another tradition, it is recommended that the service take place at the funeral home.
Note: A funeral requires a minimum of 2.5 hours assuming a procession from the Funeral Home to the Church, a Funeral Mass, a procession from the Church to the Cemetery for Burial, and, a procession from the Cemetery to the Bereavement gathering.
B. Funeral Liturgy
A Catholic funeral actually consists of three parts, each of which may occur at different times. The first part is the Vigil Service, which takes place at the wake. Next is the Funeral Mass, which is the traditional funeral ceremony. Finally, there is the Rite of Committal.
1. Vigil Service during the visitation at the Wake.
“At the vigil, the Christian community keeps watch with the family in prayer to the God of mercy and finds strength in Christ’s presence” (Order of Christian Funerals, no. 56). The Vigil Service usually takes place during the period of visitation and viewing at the funeral home. It is a time to remember the life of the deceased and to commend him/her to God. In prayer we ask God to console us in our grief and give us strength to support one another. It is most appropriate, when family and friends are gathered together for visitation, to offer time for recalling the life of the deceased. For this reason, eulogies are usually encouraged to be done at the funeral home during visitation or at the Vigil Service.
- Lourdes’s Pastor, deacon, or another priest or lay minister approved by Lourdes’s Pastor, will lead the Vigil Service at the Funeral Home during the visitation at the Wake.
2. Funeral Mass
The funeral liturgy is the central liturgical celebration of the Christian community for the deceased. When one of its members dies, the Church encourages the celebration of the funeral liturgy at a Mass. When Mass cannot be celebrated, a funeral liturgy outside Mass can be celebrated at the church or in the funeral home. At the funeral liturgy, the Church gathers with the family and friends of the deceased to give praise and thanks to God for Christ’s victory over sin and death, to commend the deceased to God’s tender mercy and compassion, and to seek strength in the proclamation of the Paschal Mystery. The funeral liturgy, therefore, is an act of worship, and not merely an expression of grief.
Readings and Petitions
- Given that Funerals take place during the weekday liturgy, the reading and Gospel of the day are recommended and used as a first choice.
- The weekday and Catholic Funeral Rite readings are posted on the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) website at https://bible.usccb.org
- One (1) or two (2) lectors will be needed, based on the number of readings for the day.
- The Presider will read the Prayers of the Faithful.
- One or two extraordinary Eucharistic ministers, as approved by the Archdiocese of Louisville for the Mass, may be selected by the family to serve during the Funeral Mass.
Music
- Secular music is not permitted before, during, or after a Funeral Mass at church.
- Cantors and musicians must be approved by Lourdes’s Director of Music.
- Lourdes’s Director of Music will support the family with vocalists, and musicians for the Funeral Mass.
Eulogy or Remembrance
- If the Family wishes to prepare a Eulogy, it may be delivered during the Vigil Service at the funeral home or at the cemetery during The Committal.
C. The Committal
The Rite of Committal, the conclusion of the funeral rite, is the final act of the community of faith in caring for the body or elements of its deceased member. It should normally be celebrated at the place of committal, that is, beside the open grave or place of interment. In committing the body to its resting place, the community expresses the hope that, with all those who have gone before us marked with the sign of faith, the deceased awaits the glory of the resurrection. The Rite of Committal is an expression of the communion that exists between the Church on earth and the Church in heaven: the deceased passes with the farewell prayers of the community of believers into the welcoming company of those who need faith no longer, but see God face-to-face.
It takes place immediately after Funeral Mass. If body will be cremated, family must coordinate with Pastor the date and time for the elements to be buried.
D. Bereavement Ministry
1. Bereavement Meals
- Are reserved for Our Lady of Lourdes registered families of those whose Funeral Masses are celebrated at Lourdes or a Funeral Home gathering.
- If you wish to receive a bereavement meal through Lourdes’s Bereavement Ministry, please inform staff during the funeral planning meeting.
- While Lourdes does not currently have a community gathering space for Bereavement Meals, the school cafeteria can be used when available. If the meal is at another location, volunteers will deliver the food.
2. Bereavement Outreach and Support
- Lourdes’s Pastoral Care and Outreach Coordinator, Dana Eckert (danae@ourlourdes.org), leads the Bereavement Outreach and Support ministry, providing support and resources to all those grieving the loss of a loved one.
E. Priest Visitors
- The performance of Funeral Rites is entrusted to the Pastor of the parish (Canon 530.5)
- Brother priests are welcome to concelebrate and preach in our parish during a Funeral, with proper documentation submitted to the Pastor in advance as required by the Archdiocese of Louisville.
- Lourdes’s Pastor and/or Associate Pastor will preside at each funeral based on his availability.
F. Catholic Teachings on Cremation
- Please click HERE for Catholic Teachings on Cremation from the Cogregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Vatican.