There are two unavoidable things in life: death and grief. Everyone says that you can never experience one without the other, making it more challenging to deal with when you lose someone you loved dearly. I only understood this when my twin brother died two years ago. Back then, I was having a hard time arranging his Christian funeral. My memories with him keep on flashing back and forth that I could not think straight. It was too painful, too painful losing my twin brother. So, I decided to hire a funeral parlour in Singapore because I heard they could help me, arranging my twin brother’s Christain funeral on my behalf and my family. Here are the things I have learned from them about Christian funerals that I could share with you.
Three Stages of Christian Funeral
I know that the funeral will serve as a ceremony to bid our (my family and his friends) final farewell. However, I never knew that there are three stages of a Christian funeral. No one told me, not even my parents since they are, too, in trouble handling their grief. Here are those three:
Reception of The Body
The funeral parlour I hired in Singapore says that this ceremony is commonly known as Prayer Vigil. Most of their Christian clients prefered to hold this the night before Christian memorial service.
Church Funeral—With or Without Mass
On the other hand, this one is known as Requiem Mass since it includes Holy Communion. When I heard about this, I remember attending one when our grandfather died years ago.
Committal
As the word suggests, this part is about burying the remains either through a cemetery or crematorium. Since there is a land scarcity going on in Singapore, my family and I decided to opt for cremating his remains.
What Made Me Decided Choosing This Funeral Parlour?
You might be wondering why out of all the funeral parlours in Singapore, this is the one I chose to help me planned and arranged his Christian Funeral.
Casket
Since my twin brother was six feet tall, they made a casket with a simple, furnish half-glass, with a perfect from head to toe. The coffin has an elegant hardwood and is suitable for anyone who’s mourning to see my twin brother up close.
Embalming & Make Up
Besides custom-made casket, part of their funeral package in Singapore was ensuring that his body will be well-preserved to forestall further decomposition. The chemical they use is Formalin, but a special one to make sure his remains will not rot throughout the Christian memorial service.
Floral Decoration
Everyone knows that flowers can rely on our words, feelings and thoughts. Their funeral director made sure that all the flower stand sent by our relatives and his friends are well-arranged along with his picture. Before the Christian memorial service started, they placed some Biblical verse to help us remember our memories with him. That was a pleasant gesture we all appreciated. We are not sure if that was part of the package, but that made his funeral special.
Air-Conditioned Bus
I never knew that there was an air-conditioned bus service included in the Christian funeral package I chose. But that helped us a lot, fetching our family, friends and other acquaintances who wanted to bid their final farewell. With this, no one got lost on the way to my brother’s Christian funeral.
Other than all of these, I also learned some Christian funeral etiquette. So, if you are planning to attend a Christian funeral or arranging one, you should follow these rules of tradition.
Dress Appropriately
For most strong beliefs, Christian is one of the strongest of them all. So, to make sure you will not disrespect anyone unintentionally, dressing in dark clothing like black is the way to go. You can also wear grey or navy-coloured clothes. When I found out about this, I immediately informed everyone so that none will make any mistake.
Avoid Using Phones
Even though this one is pretty obvious, most of us forget doing this. Since it is so inevitable for us, make sure to sit on your phone in silent mode. That way, when someone calls or messages you, you will not disturb anyone. Fortunately, the place where we held the ceremony has a sign: avoid using phones. Because of that, everyone followed and the funeral went smoothly.
Conclusion
All in all, my family and I are grateful to this funeral parlour in Singapore, Eternal Life. Their funeral director has helped me arrange my twin brother’s Christian funeral. I, along with my family, highly recommend their Christian memorial service because it is complete with what you need for a funeral. Thus, if you were able to convince you with my story, you should contact them on their website as I did.
