“There is a sobering beauty to the funeral Mass and the ritual procession to the gravesite. There is a wisdom to gathering in the church hall for casseroles and remembrances.”
Greg Erlandson: In defense of funerals
Knocking at death’s spiritual door in the time of COVID-19
In addition to taking away those who, from our perspective, died before their time, said Father James Gardiner, the coronavirus changed the process of mourning and spiritual rituals that help with grief and healing, including for those whose loved ones have died from something other than COVID-19.
John Garvey: ‘Holy God, We Praise Thy Name’
“Every 12 months or so, I’ll remind my wife that I would like the recessional at my funeral to be ‘Holy God, We Praise Thy Name.'”
‘Traumatic way to say goodbye’: roadside funerals in Colombia
The pandemic has changed how burials work in Colombia, the victims must be taken from the hospital to the cemetery in a closed casket, without their families allowed to see the body.
Coronavirus restrictions throw weddings, funeral plans in disarray
From weddings to baptisms to funerals, the coronavirus pandemic and the social distancing precautions that go with it have thrown solemn and celebratory Catholic services into disarray.
Memories of 9/11 attacks linger for fire department chaplain
John Delendick, a longtime New York Fire Department chaplain, still recalls the 9/11 terrorist attacks vividly. That first year after the attacks, he said, he doesn’t remember how many funerals and memorial Masses he celebrated.
Victims of Las Vegas shooting remembered at funeral Masses, vigils
Immediate makeshift memorials in Las Vegas to the 58 victims killed during the Oct. 1 outdoor country music concert are being replaced by memorial services, vigils and Catholic funerals at the victims’ hometowns across the country and in Canada.
Final resting place: Vatican releases instruction on burial, cremation
Professing belief in the resurrection of the dead and affirming that the human body is an essential part of a person’s identity, the Catholic Church insists that the bodies of the deceased be treated with respect and laid to rest in a consecrated place.