Catholic Funerals
All the sacraments, and principally those of Christian initiation, have as their goal the last Passover of the child of God through death into the life of the Kingdom. "I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come." (Nicene Creed)
The Christian meaning of death is revealed in the light of the Paschal mystery of the death and resurrection of Christ in whom resides our only hope.
The Christian funeral is a liturgical celebration of the Church. The ministry of the Church in this instance aims at expressing efficacious communion with the deceased, at the participation in that communion of the community gathered for the funeral, and at the proclamation of eternal life to the community. (Catechism of the Catholic Church)
More Information:
- Guidelines for funerals by the Bishops of British Columbia - a downloadable file
- For more information contact the pastor of your parish or mission.
(Romans 5:5)
By this final greeting "we sing for his (her) departure from this life and separation from us, but also because there is a communion and a reunion. For even dead, we are not at all separated from one another, because we all run the same course and we will find one another again in the same place. We shall never be separated, for we live for Christ, and now we are united with Christ as we go toward him…we shall all be together in Christ."
(St. Simeon of Thessalonica)