Roman Catholic Funeral and Burial Practices - Research Paper Example

4 April Roman Catholic Funeral and Burial Practices Death is an infinite emotion that sweeps over people with time. In most cultures of the world, the families and friends of the deceased person try and carry out as many rites and rituals as possible in order for the deceased to have a happy afterlife and attain all the spiritual belonging and support that he can. They hope for the person to be born again as someone honourable by honouring the deeds carried out by him during the course of his life time. Much the same way, people belonging to the Roman Catholic Church makes use of the Roman Catholic Funeral which is a Latin rite by tradition, made use of in the Catholic Church. They are also known as ecclesiastical funerals in the Church. When a member of the family or a loved friend passes away, the others are left grieving and wondering why it had to happen to him. However the truth lies that every person is going to see his end one day or another and thus, instead of feeling tremendous sorrow for the deceased one, people try and hope for the best and thank Jesus for all that he has done and everything he had provided the person with during his lifetime. The Roman Catholic Funeral rites thus help to offer a very profound journey for the dead that helps his family and friends to pass through the beautiful emotions of grief and loss as well as joy that the person is going to a happier place where he is believed to have an everlasting life in heaven or paradise. There are a number of varied beliefs on what happens after death, for all different religions. In the Roman Catholic Church, people are taught that after death, a body begins to decompose into the Earth. During this process, the soul however leaves the body and undergoes an immediate evaluation. This is according to the Hebrews 9:27 "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment." (KJV). They believe that there are very few people who end up going to heaven after their death. They are those people that spend their lives worshipping God and let God show them the way in every aspect of their lives. They are thus glorified and are rewarded by eternal bliss in heaven. Some saints, the Virgin Mary and Apostles qualify for walking on this path after their death. On the other hand, those who commit sins during their lifetime or reject the existence and worship of God are transported to Hell after their death. It is here that they are tortured for the rest of whatever they have left, their souls are not give mercy and they are stuck forever in this position that they are believed to have created for themselves, by inflicting upon them, deeds during the course of their lifetime. Yet another state that many dead people enter into right after their death is the state of purgatory. This takes place when a person loves God ‘imperfectly’ during his lifetime but dies in a state of grace. Purgatory is said to be the state where such people have to suffer for a long time in order o cleanse themselves of whatever imperfections have been accumulated within their souls because of their deeds in their lives. They might have committed certain mortal sins, but after some ablution these are cleansed off and forgiven in the Sacrament of Peace. However, such people are still believed to have some punishments which need to be discharged. (CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA) The Roman Catholics believe that Purgatory is much like Hell because when people are tortured here in order to cleanse themselves, they are tortured endlessly with fire. This happens till they are perfectly pure again to be able to qualify to enter the gates of Heaven. It is also believed that if the friends and family of the deceased pray to God for his soul, then his stay in purgatory is shortened, otherwise he has to endure fighting with fire till he is absolved. The difference from Hell is that one in Purgatory eventually gets to enter Heaven unlike those who already are in Hell. Moving on to the actual funeral rites in the Roman Catholic Church, these have three parts. They are known as the Vigil for the Deceased which is celebrated in the funeral home or the Church, The Mass of Christian Burial also known as the Funeral Liturgy which is carried out in Church and The Rite of Committal of the deceased body which is finally carried out in the cemetery. These Rites have been contained in the ritual book, The Order of Christian Funerals. It is clearly stated that even though the Rosary or other traditions are regarded to have a very valuable existence, they are not to replace any of these Rites at any cost. The Roman Catholic Church believes that the body of the deceased person must be present in order to carry out the Vigil Service and then for the purpose of carrying out the Funeral Mass, it should be carried to the local parish. After the Funeral Mass, in the Rite of Committal, the person’s body must be interred in the ground or buried in a crypt. However, many a times, many people choose to cremate the body instead. In this case, the Vigil and other such Rites should be celebrated within the presence of the body and then it should be taken to be cremated after which the remains of the body (after cremation) should be buried in a mausoleum or a columbarium with a lot of respect. (Historic Funeral Traditions: Roman Catholic) Many people also take to following the choice of carrying out the Funeral Liturgy in the presence of the cremated remains. This is not a very desirable option according to the Church because it believes that the body of the person, or in this case the remains, should be present for the Funeral Rites because it is the body that is the depiction of life and death, and will determine the course of action for the soul of the deceased. The Vigil for the Deceased is held during the evening just before the burial takes place. During this time, the priest and the family members and friends offer prayers and readings for the dead with the help of the Rosary. This is also one of the best times to speak of any eulogies or share any kind of memories and references that others would like to. After this, the burial takes place in the church and is the main celebration of the dead as it is the period of transition and sending the dead into his afterlife. Eulogies are not permitted during this time, even if they are, only one eulogy is allowed for not more than a period of five minutes. The Rite of Committal is the final step in the burial practise of Roman Catholics. During this time, friends and family have the last chance to offer any kind of prayers as they finally give up their loved ones to the hands of God. The burial and funeral practices of the Roman Catholics is a little different from that of Christians and Jews however, it is similar to almost all different kinds of religions for the sole reason that both burial as well as cremation is allowed. Prayers are spoken just like in other religions, and the local parish or priest does his best to give the dead up to God in a manner that the deceased person’s body and soul undergoes the least amount of pain and trauma possible. (Catholic Funerals - Funeral Planning 101) It is the role of the priest or the deacon to find out all the details regarding the funeral service, by the members of the deceased person’s family. Either him, or the liturgy director must receive a planned sheet of all the details that the family would like to have at the service. Some of the details include the kind of scripture readings to be done at the funeral, the kind of music that should be played, and whether or not a friend or family member will be eulogizing. They also need to know whether a visiting priest will be coming or not and if a funeral luncheon is required for the people. In this case, the exact numbers of people need to be notified of. The funeral director plays a very important role in a Roman Catholic funeral. He must know and understand each part of the entire process of the funeral. The funeral director has to keep in mind all the key aspects of the funeral that have been discussed in this paper, with respect to the different steps and when and how they take place. Along with the priest, it is imperative for the funeral director to find a time to conduct the funeral, mutually acceptable to both. This is done in order to make sure that the entire congregation can be present for the service. The funeral director has to ensure that if the priest was not present at the death bed of the deceased person, then the body should not be removed till a priest can visit. It is the duty of a funeral director to make sure that the family of the deceased person understands the entire process of the funeral service. Thus, they need to provide their services by helping the family to be aware of all the rules and regulations according to tradition. They also may be asked to fold the cloth that is laid over the casket or the pall after the funeral is over. This is discussed later in the paper. The funeral directors also have the liberty to provide flowers and wreaths if people would like to place them near the casket. It is also their duty to make sure whether or not any pall bearers will be helping to the take the casket to the cemetery. The entire process of burial for the Roman Catholics also has some traditions which are made use of, apart from the process of burial and the funeral Rites as discussed above. Very little of these traditions have undergone much change in the last many years and they have been practised for a long time, in almost every Roman Catholic family, during the time of death. The Rosary is a very common object used, adorned on the body of the deceased person during the time of death. The dead person’s hands are also crossed and placed on his chest. The body of the person, as well as his funeral casket, is sprinkled with holy water. This process is carried out during the funeral mass and the person’s feet inside the casket are placed in a manner that they face the altar. The opposite is done with a priest’s casket, however as his head faces the altar. According to tradition, the Roman Catholics place a black cloth on the casket and then perform and read their prayers and offerings. The black cloth has the design of a white cross marked on it. This is mostly done when the body is not present for the purpose of cleansing for the afterlife. Roman Catholics are different from other Catholics or Christians as they have the freedom to decide where they may be buried (or cremated, as discussed above.) They may also be buried elsewhere, and not just in their local churches, if they wish. By the end of the burial ritual, when the body is just about to be placed in the ground, the family members and friends have the option of throwing a clump of dirt on the casket. This is a depiction of sending off the deceased person back into the earth or the soil through death, and helping his soul release into the world. The holy water may be sprinkled again on the casket as it is lowered down into the earth. Sometimes, if there is left over holy water, it can be used by friends and family for their visits to the grave of the deceased person. There is one exception for Roman Catholic burials – those who commit suicide. The bodies of such people are to be exempted from being buried in the funeral grounds where the bodies of others are buried too. However this too has an exception for the case of those who committed suicide while being of unsound mind or if the deceased had shown certain signs of repentance just before their death too place. Some of the famous funeral hymns that are chosen include Michael Joncas’ On Eagles’ Wings. This song is a reflection of the dead being raised and sent to heaven and thus is preferred and sung at most Roman Catholic funerals. The Office of the Dead is read out in the form of the prayers that are offered to God and the dead. (Roman Catholic Funeral Traditions) There are certain provisions for the church and the priest conducting the funeral rites as well - the priest is to be dressed in purple or black vestments and the pall of the deceased person is also to be covered with a black cloth. However, this differs if the deceased was a young child of less than seven years old. In that case, the priest wears white vestments which depict the innocence of the young child. The Roman Catholic funeral and burial rites and procedures are thus a very solemn and traditional affair. Most Roman Catholics follow the tradition without hesitance because they believe that it is the best and quickest way to send their loved one into his afterlife, into God’s abode. Every Roman Catholic hopes to be sent into Heaven without undergoing any suffering or trauma during either his lifetime or after death, however this depends on the deeds he has committed during his time on Earth. All in all, the entire funeral procedure is a very beautiful affair, coupled with a number of mixed emotions felt by all the family members and friends of the deceased. Everyone hopes that the deceased person is able to live well after his death and that he does not have to suffer much pain. That is why; they do their best to offer prayers and offerings, which is their way of asking God to exempt him from undergoing much suffering either in purgatory or Hell. Works Cited "Historic Funeral Traditions: Roman Catholic." Death Care - Great Resource for Deathcare Information. Web. 05 Apr. 2011. . "Catholic Funerals - Funeral Planning 101." Funeral Planning 101 - Arranging a Funeral. Web. 05 Apr. 2011. . "CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Christian Burial." NEW ADVENT: Home. Web. 05 Apr. 2011. . "Roman Catholic Funeral Traditions « The Family Plot Blog: Funeral Planning for Those Who Don't Plan to Die." The Family Plot Blog: Funeral Planning for Those Who Don't Plan to Die. Web. 05 Apr. 2011. . Read More