MINISTERS FOR THE MASS:
Assumption Parish provides:
- the priest
- three altar servers
- organist, cantor/soloist
- funeral choir
- and, when necessary, a reader
Families are welcome but not required to provide:
- One or two readers who are confident to read Sacred Scripture in public
- Reader for the petitions
- Experienced liturgical musicians
- Visiting priests or deacons are always welcome provided they are from the Archdiocese of St. Louis or have a Letter of Aptitude from their religious superior.
MUSIC AND READINGS
When planning the funeral, you can propose music and readings to the priest.
MUSIC: You can select one from each category:
- Opening Hymn
- Offertory Hymn
- Communion Hymn
- Recessional Hymn
Go to Funeral Hymns to view/listen to our list of commonly chosen funeral hymns.
Please tell the priest who is presiding at the funeral your musical selections.
READINGS: You can select one from each category (see document below):
- First Reading
- Second Reading
- Gospel (read by a priest or deacon)
- Prayer of the Faithful
CLICK HERE to download the document containing all of the reading options for each category.
Once you have made your scripture selections, you can print individual pages to share with the readers and the priest.
REFLECTIONS
Before meeting with the priest, it helps to reflect on the life of your loved one.
Here are some questions to help:
- What was your loved one like?
- What made him/her unique?
- What did he/she do to help others?
- What were his/her virtues?
- Who or what was most important to him/her?
- How did he/she live his/her Catholic Faith?
- How did he/she care for his/her family?
- What lesson about life did you learn from him/her?
Eulogy:
The eulogy is not proper to the Catholic Funeral Mass.
It may be best to schedule it at the Funeral Home or during the Luncheon; however if necessary, it could be inserted after the family arrives at the church or after the Prayer After Communion.
When a eulogy is prepared, these guidelines should be followed:
- One eulogist may speak for the whole family.
- Prepare remarks on paper beforehand.
- Focus on the deceased’s faith, love of family, and dedication to doing good works.
- Stories may be humorous but please no disrespectful stories, anecdotes or course language.
- One should be cautious regarding certain texts or poems, while comforting or reassuring, may not express Christ’s message of the eternal life, final judgment and the resurrection accurately.
The family is welcome to have eulogies at the luncheon after the Funeral. Arrangements can be made for a sound system in the Church Lower Level.