It is always difficult at the loss of a loved one. There are so many details striving for our attention. For some, preparing for the Funeral Mass can be complicated and confusing. Our hope is that this web page will help you prepare the readings, music, and other parts of the Funeral Mass for St. Patrick Parish.

Eulogy

A Eulogy is not a necessary part of the Funeral Mass.  If you choose to have a eulogy at the funeral, you may choose no more than 2 people to eulogize your loved one. These persons may speak about the deceased for 3 to 5 minutes total. The eulogy must be written out and given to the Pastor for review two days prior to the service.  At St. Patrick Parish, the eulogy is usually given at the beginning, just after the procession.

Music

There are seven categories of music for the Funeral Mass. While this is not an exhaustive list, it represents the most chosen music for the funeral. As with all Masses, the music at a Funeral Mass must be liturgical music. Some music may not be appropriate for a given Liturgical Season (for instance, “Alleluia” is not permitted during the Lenten Season). We have included links to the music on YouTube for your convenience. Click here to go to the Funeral Music webpage.

Readings

The readings at the Funeral Mass help to bring God’s comfort to us in our time of need.  They build a bridge between God’s love moving in Salvation History and our lives today.  Through the Sacred Scriptures, God Himself speaks to us today.  Attached (click here) is a document with the Old Testament and New Testament readings for funerals. Choose one Old Testament reading and one New Testament reading for the Funeral Mass (during the Easter Season [easter Sunday until Pentecost], an “Easter Time” [“ET”] reading is substituted for the Old Testament reading). You may choose to have family or friends participate in the Liturgy by proclaiming one or both of the readings.

Preparation of the Gifts

At this time, our Bishop is not allowing us to have the presentation of the gifts.