There are nearly 4,300 religions in the world, and Catholic is the most widely practised for centuries. There are many preachings about the existence of God. One of which made many people believe that death is not the end. It is the passing of a soul from the physical world (Earth) into the afterlife. There, the spirit will live in either Heaven, Hell or Purgatory. Just in case you did know what Purgatory means, it is a place between heaven and hell. It is where a soul has to go through seven terraces: pride, envy, wrath, sloth, greed, gluttony, and lust. This process is what they believe about what happens after a Catholic funeral service. Then, after living there, when Jesus Christ returns, he will resurrect all souls from his realm.
Thus, what exactly can you expect from a Catholic Funeral Service? Let us find out.
A Catholic funeral service is a religious practice held for someone who believes in the Catholic faith that has passed away. It is a vital ceremony for the bereaved family and friends who also believe that the soul would live on after death.
This belief, however, also aligned with the Christian Faith. Whereas they believe it would depend on the person's righteousness where his soul will go. It can be either in Heaven or Hell. On the other hand, Catholic believe that some souls go to Purgatory. A place where the soul will receive forgiveness for the sin he had committed when he lived. This faith is the most reason why Catholics pray a lot when their beloved passes away. That way, their soul could appeal to God and be forgiven for their sins.
The belief in the third destination is one of the differences between a Catholic and a Christian funeral service.
Traditionally speaking, a Catholic funeral service is always held in the Catholic church, though, nowadays, you can have it at the funeral home. Nevertheless, the process remains the same. The Catholic priest chosen by the deceased family will be the one leading the ceremony. It has three stages: the Prayer Vigil, funeral mass, and committal. Here are their differences.
Prayer Vigil
It is when the family and friends can pay their respect to the deceased. It usually happens the evening before the burial or cremation.
During this ceremony, you will notice a Bible, crucifix, rosary beside or near the casket.
Funeral Mass
It is like a regular mass, but the prayers and hymns used are different since those would help the soul go on its journey into the afterlife.
Committal
A Catholic funeral service has two types of committal: burial and cremation. Either of the two requires an ordained priest or deacon to bless the committal.
When a Catholic follower dies, their family or anyone he knows may hold a prayer vigil led by a Catholic priest on the night before the funeral mass. At that moment, mourners were mostly encouraged to pray while remembering their days with the deceased. Sometimes, the bereaved family requests their guest to state their eulogies to make their farewell more formal.
The arrangement of the Catholic funeral service depends on whether it has a Requiem Mass or Eucharistic Prayer and Holy Communion. All of these rely on the decision of the bereaved family. That is why most funeral homes offer a Catholic funeral package that covers all of these stages.
However, if you may have asked, Requiem Mass is optional, but highly encouraged by the church. That often happens when the coffin was not seen by the church the night before the funeral wake. That is when the priest or deacon will sprinkle holy water all over the coffin all though the church or funeral home.
As mentioned above, the funeral Mass of a Catholic Funeral service plays different songs or music. It is much holier or sacred. Some of these were compositions of Wolfgang Mozart, Johann Sebastian Bach, Benjamin Britten, Guiseppi Verdi, Gabriel Fauré, and Sarah Brightman.
Sometimes, the music usually played at a Catholic funeral service was not recorded, but rather, played by the Parish musicians or the organist.
Hopefully, this article has helped you understand what you can expect when you attend a Catholic funeral service. However, if you have more specific concerns, Eternal Life is always here to ready to answer any questions. Thus, feel free to give them a call at +65 97563444, or you may drop your inquiry by visiting their website today!
