Celebrating Christian Funerals

Author: Dr Jenny O'Brien

The Christian journey begins with Baptism and comes to its earthly conclusion with the Funeral Mass and subsequent burial or cremation. From that moment on we enter the realm of eternal life with God.
The Order of Christian Funerals was published in 1989. A very interesting and important feature of this Order is that there is not just ONE rite, but a sequence of rites, each taking us a step further along a journey of prayer and faith.
First comes the VIGIL, usually held in the church on the evening before the funeral, where the story of the deceased person is shared and we acknowledge our grief and loss. It normally consists of prayers, readings from scripture and hymns but may also include part of the Rosary and/or other customs from our multicultural diversity.

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