NOVEMBER 2022 O


ne of the great opportunities we have as pastoral musicians is to be with a family in planning a loved one’s funeral celebration.


Te Order of Christian Funerals offers this as a reminder of what we as Church share in the funeral Mass itself: “Te Church through its funeral rites commends the dead to God’s merciful love and pleads for the forgiveness of sins . . . Tough separated from the living, the dead are still at one with the community of believers on earth and benefit from their prayers and intercession . . . [Te] rite recognizes the spiritual bond that still exists between the living and the dead” (no. 6). It is a great opportunity because we are meeting people coming from various backgrounds who perhaps have not been to a church for a while, who perhaps are not Catholic, who may not know what the funeral Mass is about, and who may be in a time of crisis emotionally and spiritually.


Te family comes to us with these complications, asking us to assist them in planning the Mass. Tis process is filled with emotions; concerns arise that the loved one will be honored and prayed for so they can be remembered and go to heaven. Our task is to assist the family in this process. As pastoral musicians, we are reminded in Sing to the Lord that “sacred music has an integral role in the funeral rites, since it can console and uplift mourners, while at the same time unify the assembly in faith and love” (no. 246).


Before we meet with the family, they have already had to deal with so much: the fact that the loved one has died; the choice of funeral home; the arrangements with the funeral home, perhaps the crematory, and the cemetery; calling for the date, time, place, and presider for the Mass. All of these things can be part of their process before they come to you. If you have not gone through this kind of experience, let us just say it is exhausting, emotionally and physically. Te first few days of loss can be a blur of so many things that some may forget to eat or sleep and can lose a sense of time. Tey might come to us with many things they would like to do to honor their loved one.


In our encounter with the family, we as pastoral ministers can assist those gathered to deal with the loss, give them hope, aid in their sorrow, and at the same time preserve the dignity of the liturgy. We help all gathered to celebrate the person remembered in the Resurrection of Jesus. We might have the opportunity


to plant a seed toward the future with the Church and the parish community. How we couch concerns and share information is very important. Phrases such as “We can’t do that,” or “Te rite does not call for this,” or “Tere is no room for this” certainly do not make the family feel welcomed or allow them to be actively engaged in the process. Te General Instruction of the Roman Missal reminds us that “in arranging and choosing of the variable parts of the Mass for the Dead . . ., pastoral considerations bearing upon the deceased, the family, and those attending should rightly be taken into account” (no. 385).


“As pastoral musicians, we can guide them to have a good experience with the Church, in the celebration and afterwards in the care for the family who survives a loss in death.”


As pastoral musicians, we can guide them to have a good experience with the Church, in the celebration and afterwards in the care for the family who survives a loss in death. We need to have a good sense of the various documents, especially the Introduction of the Order of Christian Funerals. Te more we know, the more we can be pastoral and objective in our responses to those who come to us.


Knowing what resources are available to us will help in the process of planning and ministering at the service. Cantors, choir, instrumentalists, and music resources are important. It is also good as the music minister to be sure the funeral homes in the area know that, at your parish, the ministers of the parish prepare the liturgy with the family . . . not the funeral home. Often,


13


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52