Funerals
We have lost a loved one . . .
If you have lost a loved one, please
accept our profound condolences. If the
death is impending or has already
occurred, this page is meant to guide
you through the steps to take.
A community of faith in the
resurrection
The Christian community, above all, has
faith in the resurrection of our Lord
Jesus Christ. When we celebrate a
funeral, we celebrate God's faithfulness
to Jesus and to us. Our faith does not
exempt us from the grieving process, a
normal and natural response to death. It
does, however, give us a perception of
death that carries hope, even in great
sadness.
What to do . . .
Prayers
If your loved one is seriously ill and
still conscious, please call us so that
we might administer the Sacrament of the
Sick.
If your loved one is no longer conscious
and death expected soon, if we
available, we would be happy to pray
with the family and friends for the
dying person.
Wake and Funeral
If your loved one has died, please call
the parish so that we can begin to make
preparations for the wake and funeral.
If you have not already called a funeral
home, do so to make arrangements with
them as well. They will then call us to
firm up dates and times for the wake,
the funeral mass and the interment. The
Church encourages us to include all
three elements of liturgy (wake, funeral
and interment) when we are saying our
last farewell to someone. You might want
to meet with a priest to choose suitable
reading, discuss who will do the
readings and share some insight into the
person who has passed away.
The question of Eulogies . . .
The Roman Catholic Church and the
Diocese of Hamilton has ask that we not
have eulogies during the funeral mass.
We encourage anyone who wishes to share
her/his personal reflections about the
deceased at the funeral home visitation
or some other suitable time for the
family.
Loved one not a Catholic?
We would be happy to celebrate a
funeral mass for non-catholic
Christians, especially those whose
relatives are Roman Catholics.
Music and Servers
St. Raphael's offers a funeral choir at
the funeral mass for those who wish to
avail themselves to that service. We
also have servers for the mass.
Reception after Mass or Interment
There is also a committee who will be
happy to serve a reception in our church
hall after the family has made
arrangements with a caterer. We'd be
happy to recommend caterers if you need
some assistance. The caterers provide
the food ; the committee sets the hall
up and serves the food.
For more information:
contact your parish priest.
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