Catholic Funerals

In the event of the death of a family member at home, please call the parish immediately. The parish priest will bless the body and pray with your family. He will offer guidance in regard to the removal of the body to the funeral home.

Funeral services can be held in the parish church on any day except weekends.

Please do not make any funeral arrangements without prior consultation with the parish priest. He will assist with all aspects of the Requiem Mass or funeral service, including the Scripture readings, hymns, leaflet, and other arrangements.

We are also willing to assist with the funeral services of non-catholic spouses, parents or family members.

Burial or Cremation?

The Church’s teachings on Burial and Cremation are clearly set out in "Instruction Ad resurgendum cum Christo about the burial of the deceased and the conservation of the ashes in the case of cremation." Click here for the full document.

The following are some key points:

"The Church continues to prefer the practice of burying the bodies of the deceased, because this shows a greater esteem towards the deceased. Nevertheless, cremation is not prohibited, 'unless it was chosen for reasons contrary to Christian doctrine'." (4)

"The Church raises no doctrinal objections to this practice [cremation], since cremation of the deceased’s body does not affect his or her soul, nor does it prevent God, in his omnipotence, from raising up the deceased body to new life. Thus cremation, in and of itself, objectively negates neither the Christian doctrine of the soul's immortality nor that of the resurrection of the body." (4)

"… the conservation of the ashes of the departed in a domestic residence is not permitted… the ashes may not be divided among various family members… " (6)

"… it is not permitted to scatter the ashes of the faithful departed in the air, on land, at sea or in some other way, nor may they be preserved in mementos…" (7)