St. Andrew Catholic Church
910 Austin Drive
Saline, MI 48176
(734) 429-5210
Rev. 8/17/2006
I.
Scheduling Information
A) Funeral Liturgy
B) Luncheon
C) Visitation
D) Interment
E) Stipends
II.
Family participation in the Funeral
III.
Planning information
A)
Funeral
Liturgy
When a Catholic dies there
is sadness because we will miss our beloved.
We sorrow because we know life is good.
However life with the Lord is a far greater good. We have a sure and certain hope in the Lord
so we do not grieve as do those who have no hope. Recognizing that we have such hope we
celebrate the life of our brothers and sisters who rest now in the Lord with a
Mass of Christian Burial, a Mass of the Resurrection. A Mass is the most appropriate liturgy of
memorial for a baptized Catholic.
B) Luncheon
The parish of St. Andrew offers, as an act of Christian solidarity, a funeral luncheon for those parishioners who are buried from the church. The funeral luncheon is a gift from the parish provided by volunteers. The family requesting a luncheon is asked to pay for the meat that is served. The luncheon follows the Mass or the Interment.
C) Visitation
The most common pattern at St. Andrew is visitation scheduled for one or two days at the funeral home prior to the funeral and then an hour of visitation in the Narthex at the church prior to the funeral Mass. It is possible to schedule a period of visitation in the Narthex at the church for the evening before the funeral. This depends, of course, on what other scheduled activities are going on at the church. Sometimes a family will request a Vigil Service or a Rosary be said at the funeral home the evening prior to the funeral. This depends on the availability of a priest, deacon or pastoral minister.
D) Interment
Interment should be discussed with the priest who is
saying the funeral Mass. However
internment at a cemetery outside of Washtenaw County is beyond the scope of the
parish priest’s usual area.
E) Stipends
·
$100.00 for the
organist
·
$50.00 for the
cantor, primary singer who sings the psalm
·
$150.00 for the
presider (priest)
(Inquire whether or not the funeral
director handles this.)
Although there
is a schedule of stipends assigned to funerals, no one will ever be denied a
funeral at St. Andrew church for monetary reasons.
iI. family
participation in the funeral
If family members desire to take a part in the ritual of the funeral Mass
they are very welcome to participate in the following ways, however, none of
these suggested actions is required:
1.
Most often the
family will pick out the first and second readings for the funeral Mass.
2.
They may also
select the music for the Mass. They
discuss their selections with the music director.
3.
Family members may proclaim the first and
second Mass readings and read the general intercessions. If family members are going to read at Mass,
a church staff member will be at church prior to Mass to give them an
opportunity to become comfortable with the sound system and to practice their
reading.
(This is a matter of choice. If family
members are uncomfortable with public reading, a church staff person will be
ready the readings.)
4.
The family is
invited to place the funeral pall on the casket at the beginning of Mass and to
bring the gifts to the altar at the Offertory.
Iii. Planning
information
The following information is
needed by the parish representative in order to plan the funeral at St. Andrew
Church:
·
What is the name
of the funeral home being used?
·
Does the family
want a funeral luncheon?
·
What time is
desired for funeral?
·
Does the family
want an hour visitation at the church before Mass?
·
Does the family
want visitation at the church the night before?
·
Does the family
desire a rosary or a vigil service at the funeral home or at the church? (If the wake is at the church there must be
either a rosary or a vigil service.)