Q. Can a Catholic who seldom went to Mass receive a Catholic funeral?
A. Yes. A funeral Mass is the celebration of the Eucharist during which we—the Church—pray for the happy repose of the soul of the deceased and ask the Lord to help us grieve.
I truly wish all Catholics could see, accept, and willingly participate in the Eucharist as our worship of God.
One thing I remind Catholics is that we should not eulogize the deceased but rather humbly ask the Lord for the remission of any temporal punishment due to the forgiven sin of the deceased. While we can certainly bring elements of the deceased’s life into the homily, we should avoid extolling exaggerated virtues or presume that one is automatically in heaven.
Another aspect of funeral Masses that I would like to comment on is when family members or others ask to say a few words after Holy Communion. I have been at funerals where person after person after person has gotten up to talk about the deceased’s life, lasting for an inordinate amount of time. If time is requested by family members to speak at the end of the funeral Mass, it should be only one person; the comments should be very brief and prudent and deal directly with the mysteries of Christian life and death; and they should avoid eulogizing the person. These are detailed in diocesan policy .
One of the greatest things we can do is to pray—for the souls of the departed and for a holy death for ourselves. Good question. We all have to face death one day.
This question was answered by a priest of the Diocese of Lincoln. Write to Ask the Register using our online form, or write to 3700 Sheridan Blvd., Suite 10, Lincoln NE 68506-6100. All questions are subject to editing. Editors decide which questions to publish. Personal questions cannot be answered. People with such questions are urged to take them to their nearest Catholic priest.
