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Funeral Mass or Memorial Mass

Does the title or name make a difference?

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Today when people speak or write about the rites for the deceased, they frequently use a variety of titles or names for these rites and often interchange them, even when the Mass is offered for the person who has died. This begs the question, is there a proper title or name for the rites for the deceased? More specifically, is there a proper title or name when it is a Catholic liturgical celebration for the deceased? Yes there are, for the Catholic funeral rites, but the usage depends on certain circumstances.

The most common practice for centuries was to observe three stations for the burial of a Catholic: a station at the home, a station in the church and a station at the grave. Each of these stations over time took on a title or a name with some variations. The station in church soon became, consistently, a Mass for the Dead, with a rite preceding and following the Mass. The Mass for the Dead, at the time of burial, took its name from the first word of the introit, the entrance chant — the Requiem Mass.

At the time of the Second Vatican Council, with the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy (Sacrosanctum Concilium) and its proposed liturgical reform, two articles in the constitution addressed the reform of the funeral rites in use at the time. “The rite for the burial of the dead should express more clearly the paschal character of Christian death, and should correspond more closely to the circumstances and traditions found in various regions. This holds good also for the liturgical color to be used” (No. 81). And “the rite for the burial of infants is to be revised, and a special Mass for the occasion should be provided” (No. 82). These two articles charted the course for the revision of the Catholic funeral rites and the publication of new ritual books with new titles and names for the rites.

Revised Ritual Books

The 1969 Latin typical edition of the ritual book for funerals, Ordo Exsequiarum, consequent to the Second Vatican Council, was translated into the 1971 English ritual book Rite of Funerals. That book was further revised and went into use in 1989 with the title, Order of Christian Funerals. The proposed council reforms are clearly displayed in the revised books. The traditional three stations continue to be the pathway for the burial of a Catholic with the sacrifice of the Mass as the centerpiece. With the reformed ritual book, the Mass is no longer only a Mass for the Dead but a Funeral Mass, with the former preceding and following rites revised and integrated into the celebration of the Eucharist.

The body is received and blessed as a reminder of baptism. Then, it is associated with the saving sacrifice of Christ in the Eucharist, the same mystery celebrated in baptism with its promise of eternal life. Afterward, it receives a final commendation as a farewell with the hope of sins to be forgiven. The first English edition, although a fine presentation of the reformed rites, was not precise in its titles and names for the variety of funeral rites made possible. Such titles as “Mass of the Resurrection” and “Mass of Christian Burial” become routine ways of identifying the funeral Mass. However, the Mass of the Resurrection is the Mass of Easter Sunday. The Mass of Christian Burial was never an official title and suggests some reference to the law of the Church. The current revised English translation of the Latin typical edition and the replacement for the Rite of Funerals, the Order of Christian Funerals, provides more clearly the proper titles and names for the funeral rites for Catholics in the United States.

The Funeral Mass

The Order of Christian Funerals presents many rites associated with the funeral of a Catholic and for a variety of circumstances. The vigil for the deceased, the funeral liturgy and the rite of committal, in line with the tradition, are the principal rites of a funeral. The Church sees some form of these three rites as the norm for the funeral of a Catholic today. Additionally, the Order of Christian Funerals includes rites and prayers associated with the vigil, funeral rites for children, the Office for the Dead, plus additional Scripture and liturgical text for funerals. The centerpiece among all the rites is the funeral liturgy which can be the funeral Mass or the Funeral Liturgy Outside Mass.

When a funeral is celebrated with the Eucharist, the proper title is the Funeral Mass. This is with the body or the cremated remains present. When a funeral is celebrated without the Eucharist, again with the body or the cremated remains present, this is called the Funeral Liturgy Outside Mass. It does happen for one reason or another that a funeral liturgy cannot or does not take place. In this case, there may only be a vigil for the deceased, and this becomes the title used for the funeral. The vigil for the deceased with reception [of the body or cremated remains] at church is also an option in this case. Additionally, if there is no funeral liturgy, then the rite of committal with final commendation is used as is this title for this part of the funeral. Careful use of the appropriate title or name of the funeral manifests the number of possible ways the Church provides for the deceased and those who mourn.

A Memorial Mass

The title “Memorial Mass” is not found in any of the liturgical books, including the Order of Christian Funerals. Yet, the Mass for the Dead is encouraged apart from a funeral Mass for the deceased. The General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) guides the use of the various formulae for the Masses for the Dead in the Roman Missal. “A Mass for the Dead, on receiving the news of a death, for the final burial, or the first anniversary, may be celebrated even on days within the Octave of the Nativity of the Lord (Christmas), on days when an obligatory memorial occurs, and on weekdays other than Ash Wednesday or the weekdays of Holy Week” (No. 381). Although “the Funeral Mass holds first place” among the Masses for the Dead (cf. No. 380), there are several occasions when a funeral Mass cannot be celebrated. Frequently, one of these principal occasions is “for final burial.” This Mass would take place without the body or cremated remains present; either burial is yet to take place or has already taken place. It is this Mass that is commonly referred to as a memorial Mass. The paschal sacrifice of Christ, with the appropriate Mass for the Dead, found in the Roman Missal, is offered for the deceased person, keeping that person explicitly in mind.

While a memorial Mass is not a funeral Mass, the very same mystery, the event of the saving death and resurrection of the Lord, is applied to the promised gift of eternal life for the person who has died. Again, careful use of this title, Memorial Mass, in a similar way declares the power of Christ’s paschal victory over death for someone who had died who for some reason did have a funeral Mass.

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From the Order of Christian Funerals

The Order of Christian Funerals states: “At the death of a Christian, whose life of faith was begun in the waters of baptism and strengthened at the Eucharistic table, the Church intercedes on behalf of the deceased because of its confident belief that death is not the end, nor does it break the bonds forged in life. The Church also ministers to the sorrowing and consoles them in the funeral rites with the comforting Word of God and the Sacrament of the Eucharist” (No. 4).

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The death of a Catholic should be marked by a ritual celebration of the Christian mystery, just as every other moment of the person’s life has been so marked by this same mystery since baptism. The Order of Christian Funerals, with the funeral Mass as the principal celebration, provides for these rites. As circumstances vary, and especially so today, the Church desires that when a funeral Mass does not take place that the deceased share in the spiritual benefits of the Eucharist with a Mass in memory of the person, a memorial Mass. The title or name for the Mass for the Dead — a funeral Mass or a memorial Mass — does make a difference since they describe for the Christian community two distinct ways of celebrating the sacred liturgy for the deceased. What is the same, even more importantly, is that the deceased, in justice and charity, is brought to the Lord’s own death with the promise of rising with him, and that the faithful have the abiding comfort of the Faith.

FATHER GERALD DENNIS GILL is the rector of the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Philadelphia, the director of the Office for Divine Worship for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and adjunct faculty at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary.

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