RAINBOWS

A 12 week peer support programme to assist children, adolescents

and adults who are grieving a death, separation or other painful

transition in their family. The service is offered for free. Contact Sr.

Margaret Curry on 091-565080 / 091-565066 or check out

www.rainbowsireland.com for more information

GALWAY DIOCESAN PASTORAL CENTRE

Bereavement Counselling/Support is available in the Galway Diocesan

Pastoral Centre. Please contact Sr. Cait O’Leary for an appointment

on 091-565066. Check out www.galwaydiocese.ie for more info.

CONSOLE

Console provides counselling, therapy and support to individuals,

couples, families and children who have been bereaved by suicide.

Phone 091 769 942 or visit their centre at 9A Elm Park, Renmore.

Check out www.console.ie for more information.

Contact your Parish office for information about a possible

bereavement support group in your area.

Dear Friend,

Our sincerest sympathy to you and your family at this sad

time. It is very difficult to lose someone we love. It can be one

of the most painful experiences we will ever have to suffer.

The Bishop, Priests and faithful from the Diocese of Galway,

Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora wish to support and console you

in your loss. The intentions of you and your family are in all

our prayers during this very difficult time.

While nothing can remove the pain of loss, it is undeniable that

a funeral liturgy offers us all a clear message of hope. This

booklet is an aid for you to plan the funeral liturgy of your

deceased loved one, while also gaining an insight as to what to

expect on your journey through grief. It contains an overview

of the Catholic Funeral Rites, the meaning of death for those

who follow Christ and how we celebrate a funeral in our

diocese. We also include guidelines for funerals, selection of

Scripture readings, sample prayers of the faithful, a liturgy

worksheet and music suggestions.

Over the coming days, weeks, months and years ahead, it is

the hope of this diocese that we can be here to

help you through the various stages of grief and

provide you with all the emotional and faith

support you need.

Your Family of Faith xx

How to cope when you are bereaved….

When you have lost someone you love, you will be

overwhelmed with sadness and grief. Listed below is a

number of coping techniques to see you through the

difficult days….

Allow the grieving process to run its course….your

grief will express itself in many different

forms...anger, guilt, shock, denial, sadness and

acceptance...These are all steps on the journey

through grief. Grief has no time limit, patience is the

key.

Don’t bottle up your feelings. If you

need to cry, let the tears flow. If you

need to talk, find a listening ear. It is

necessary and healthy to express your

grief.

Accept the help and support of family and friends,

when it is offered. Look for it, when you need it.

Take the time to heal….do what ever you need to do

to come to terms with your pain—eat healthy,

exercise, read, pray, and breathe.

When you are ready, join a bereavement support

group. The support and strength from sharing with

other bereaved people will make your pain easier to

bear.

Gathering Rite

Entrance Hymn

Penitential rite

Opening prayer

Liturgy of the Word

First Reading

Responsorial Psalm

Second Reading

Gospel Acclamation

Gospel

Prayers of the Faithful

Liturgy of the Eucharist Offertory Hymn

Eucharistic Prayer

Communion Rite Our Father

Communion

Communion Hymn

Communion Reflection

Rite of Commendation Commendation prayers

The Church encourages you to be as fully involved as you can in the

planning of your loved one’s funeral liturgy. In this liturgy, we cel-

ebrate the life of faith of your loved one, we commend him/her to

the Lord, we support and pray for all those who mourn, and we seek

strength in the promise of the Lord that he will not forget us through

this very difficult time.

By the nature of the Church's funeral rites, they are public and have

certain formalities, traditions and customs. The prayer and ritual of

the Christian funeral are approached as one prayer, like a procession

that moves from the deathbed to the cemetery. Within this

procession, there are three specific moments that the Christian

community marks:

Reception of the Body at the Church

The Funeral Mass and Final Commendation

Rite of Committal

Reception of your deceased loved one

at the Church

The parish community seeks to comfort and support you and your

family through very sad time, as you move from the privacy of your

grief to the public celebration of your loved ones funeral.

The reception of the body at the church is the first stage of the public

rite of the Christian community. It is general practice that this takes

place on the evening before the funeral Mass. This allows the parting

from family and friends to take place in stages. Since the church is

where the community of faith comes to worship, the Rite of Reception

of the Body takes place at the church.

The entrance procession led by the priest, the coffin and the chief

mourners may be accompanied by music or song, which helps to gather

this community as one, in grief, and in your hope of resurrection.

In baptism, this person was presented to the community and welcomed

at the door of the church. Now the family and all

who accompany the body of the deceased person

are greeted at the door of the church. In baptism,

this person was washed clean in the saving waters.

Now the body of the deceased is sprinkled with holy water.

Samples for use in preparing the Prayer of the Faithful

1. We pray for N who has died: - may God now welcome him/her into his heavenly home of eternal happiness and peace. Lord, hear us

2. We pray for the relatives and friends of N, especially his/her wife/ husband N, his/her sons and daughters ….., his/her brothers and sisters ….., the members of his/her extended family, his/her neighbours and friends: - may God fill their hearts with his comfort and consolation. Lord, hear us

3. We pray for all those whose lives are dedicated to caring for the sick and in particular we pray for the doctors, nurses, chaplain and staff of ……. Hospital Nursing Home who cared for N during his/ her illness / old age: - may God reward their goodness and kindness. Lord, hear us

4. We pray in thanksgiving for our neighbours and friends who have been so kind to us during this time of sadness: - may God reward their kindness and bless their homes with happiness and peace. Lord, hear us

5. As we pray that N will find eternal peace, we pray that the peace that is in heaven will touch the troubled parts of our world, our country, our parish, our homes and our hearts. Lord, hear us

6. We pray for all who have died, especially the relatives and friends of N who have gone before him/her: - may God unite them all in the happiness and peace of his heavenly home. Lord, hear us

Suggested Readings for Mass of Christian Burial

Old Testament:

Job 19:1.23-27

Wisdom 3:1-9

Wisdom 4:7-15

Isaiah 25:6-9

Macabees 12: 43-45

New testament:

Acts of the Apostles 10:34-43

St. Paul to the Romans 5:17-21

St. Paul to the Romans 6:3-9

St. Paul to the Romans 8:14-23

St. Paul to the Romans 14:7-12

St. Paul to Corinthians 15:20-28

St. Paul to Corinthians 5:1.6-10

Gospel Readings

Matthew 5: 1-12

Mark 15:33-39, 16:1-6

Luke 24:13-35

John 11:17-21

The Paschal Candle—the Easter candle, is lighting to remind us that

we are in the presence of the Risen Christ. We, who have died with

him in baptism, will come to the fullness of eternal life with him.

The coffin is placed near the altar. This reflects the importance of

the one who has died to the gathered Christian community, the

assembly. We have come to commend them, to entrust them to our

God. As clothed in white on the day of their baptism, now the pall, a

white cloth, covers the coffin. This is used in many parishes and it

reminds us that we are all equal in the sight of God and enfolded in

his mercy. We place on the coffin, symbols of our hope:

A cross—reminder of Christ’s victory over death.

A Book of the Gospels or a Bible—reminder of

God’s faithfulness to his people.

During this liturgy, we hear God’s Word as an invitation to recall

again our belief in Christ’s victory over death, and in being gathered

after death into the fullness of God’s kingdom. God’s word is

central to our prayer at this time… it holds us, the community, in

remembrance of what we believe about life and about death. Then,

the homily and the prayer of intercession put into words our hopes

for our loved one and the needs of the bereaved and the

community. Traditionally, we conclude this liturgy with a decade of

the rosary, usually the first Glorious Mystery, the Resurrection.

The Funeral Mass and Final Commendation

The Funeral Mass is the central liturgical celebration for the

deceased. The community gathers together to celebrate the life and

death of one of its members. By coming together, we proclaim their

presence and by our actions, in word and in symbol, our central

belief in the resurrection of the dead. It is by celebrating Christ’s life,

death and resurrection in the Eucharist that we, as the Christian

community affirm our hope for all who have been baptised with

Christ.

Personal Mementos—reflecting the life of your

loved one can be brought in procession at the

Reception of the Body or at the beginning of Mass.

These emblems should not clash with the

Christian symbols in the funeral rite.

The Word of God offers us life and hope and with this booklet you

will receive a selection of sacred scripture provided for the funeral

mass. Secular readings cannot replace the Word of God. This

selection gives us an opportunity to hear God speak to our needs,

sorrows, fears and hopes as we gather to mourn your loved one.

You are invited to choose two readings, one from the Old

Testament and one from the New Testament and a Responsorial

Psalm if it is not being sung.

Preparation of Gifts:

Ag Criost an Síol

I will be with you.

See Us Lord About Your Altar.

Lord Accept The Gifts We Offer.

My God Accept My Heart This Day.

All That I Am.

Come Back To Me.

In Bread We Bring You Lord

Communion:

Céad Míle Fáilte Romhat.

Be Still For the Presence Of The Lord.

Be Still My Soul.

Whatsoever You Do.

Eat This Bread.

Take and Eat.

Wait For The Lord.

How Great Thou Art.

Let us break bread together

Recessional: Abide with me

Jesus Remember Me

How Great Thou Art

There is a Place

On Eagle's Wing

Suggested Hymns for Mass of Christian Burial

Entrance: All Are Welcome.

Christ be Our Light

Christ Be Beside Me.

Be Thou My Vision.

Holy God.

Seek Ye First.

Lord of All Hopefulness.

God of Mercy and Compassion.

A New Hymn of Praise.

Amazing Grace

Psalms:

The Lord’s My Shepherd.

Song of a Young Prophet.

Here I am Lord.

I Will Never Forget You.

Like the Deer that yearns

Out of the Depths.

On Eagles Wings.

Be Not Afraid

All I Ask Of You

Sé an Tiarna M’Aoire

Yahweh I know you are near

In the Prayers of the Faithful, we call upon God to comfort the

bereaved and to show mercy to the deceased. A selection of prayers

is also presented with this booklet. You might wish to adapt some of

these and you can discuss this and the readings with the Parish priest

as you prepare for the funeral mass.

During the Offertory Procession, Gifts of bread and wine are offered.

They are transformed to become the body and blood of Jesus Christ.

These gifts may be brought to the altar by family members or by

members of the wider community.

At the table of the Eucharist, we share in his sacrifice, so to share in

his victory over death. We are fed by God also, through the

compassion and hope of the people gathered with us, and, by the

homilist reflecting on the readings and offering consolation and

strength.

Incense is used during the funeral rite to honour the body of the

deceased which through baptism has become a temple of the Holy

Spirit. It is also a sign of the community’s prayer for the

deceased rising to the throne of God and a sign of

farewell.

Music and Song have the power to console us and draw us

together as a community. As important elements of the liturgy,

they express our faith. Hymns appropriate for a funeral are

recommended in this booklet. These should be chosen with the

assistance of the music personnel and the Parish Priest.

Each Funeral Mass celebrates the life of a particular person with his

or her own story and qualities. These sentiments are best included

in the homily by the celebrant. Some families write out a few notes

for the Priest. Please feel free to do so.

A Communion Reflection may also be read after

Holy Communion. Some reflections might better

express the sentiments of the family more than

"the few words".

The community calls on God and commends the deceased person to

God. At the end of the funeral liturgy, the family and friends, and the

Christian community journey with their loved one to the place of

commital, the place of burial.

The Rite of Committal

This is the final farewell by the family and community, whom we

entrust to the tender and merciful embrace of God. The care taken to

prepare the body of the deceased for burial reflects our Christian

belief in the fullness of eternal life and the resurrection of the body.

The prayers and gestures of the funeral rites also affirm the Church's

reverence for the body. Normally celebrated at the grave, this is the

conclusion of the funeral rites. The community acknowledges the

reality of separation and commends the deceased to God.

While burial is more common in Ireland, the practice of cremation is

accepted by the Catholic Church. If the body of the deceased person

is to be cremated, the rite of committal takes place at the burial of

ashes. We honour them as we honoured the body. They are

reverently buried or entombed in a place reserved for the burial of

the dead, as soon after cremation as possible.