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Funeral Liturgy
The purpose of the funeral liturgy is threefold: to give thanks to God for the life of the deceased, to pray for their soul, and to comfort the family and friends who remain behind. A Catholic funeral is different than what is normally depicted in movies, and does not include a liturgy. Rather, the focus in on union with Christ, in whom we have the sure and certain hope of the ressurrection.
If a loved one has died and you need to schedule a funeral Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes, contact the front desk during office hours, (919)-861-4600. On weekends, you can email the Director of Liturgy and Music at baccurso@ourladyoflourdescc.org. If a loved one passes away over the weekend, it may take a little longer to schedule, but we will work with you to make arrangements as quickly as possible.
If you need to plan or pre-plan a funeral liturgy, including selecting music and readings, contact Brenda Accurso, Director of Liturgy and Music.
Symbols at a Catholic Funeral Mass
Funeral Pall
When a funeral is celebrated with a body and casket, the body is draped with a large, white funeral pall. This white pall is a sign of our Christian dignity, washed clean and clothed with a white garment in our baptism. When an infant is baptized, the preist prays that the newly baptized may bring the white garment "unstained" into the heavenly kingdom. At a funeral we symbolize this with the pall. If your loved one is cremated, there will be no pall, however the significance of the while baptismal garment remains.
Easter Candle
At a funeral the Easter Candle is placed prominently at the front of the Church. It is blessed each year late at night before Easter Sunday. At the Easter Vigil, the faithful gather outside the church around a fire, and the candle is decorated with nuggets of incense, blessed, and lit for the first time. This large candle is burned throughout the Easter Season, at baptisms, and at funerals. It is a symbol of the light of Christ, which shattered the darkness of death and leads all to hope and life.
Incense
Near the end of the funeral Mass, the priest will incense the casket or urn while all sing a commendation sometimes called "The Song of Farewell." The church incenses things that are holy, and the body of the Christian is holy. This is the body that was baptized, served others, recieved holy communion, spoke words of kindness and recieved the gospel. Not a mere shell, we believe that the body will be resurrected by Christ on the last day. We honor that body with incnese and pray that like incense, both body and soul will rise to heaven to enjoy the glory of God forever.