Includes: Vigil • Funeral Liturgy (Mass) • Committal

The Full Funeral Rite is the Church’s complete celebration for a deceased member of the faithful. It allows the community to gather in prayer at each stage of mourning: keeping watch at the Vigil, celebrating Christ’s victory over death at the Funeral Mass, and commending the deceased to their final resting place at the Committal.

Includes: Vigil Service

“At the vigil, the Christian community keeps watch with the family in prayer to the God of mercy and finds strength in Christ’s presence”
(Order of Christian Funerals, no. 56)

The Vigil Service usually takes place during visitation at the funeral home the day before the Funeral Mass. It is a time to remember the life of the deceased, commend them to God, and pray for comfort and strength for those who grieve.

Includes: Funeral Liturgy (Mass)

The Funeral Liturgy is the central liturgical celebration of the Church for the deceased. The Church gathers with family and friends to give thanks to God for Christ’s victory over sin and death, to commend the deceased to God’s mercy, and to find strength in the Paschal Mystery.

The Funeral Liturgy is an act of worship—not merely an expression of grief—and is celebrated by a priest, with a deacon assisting if needed.

Funeral Liturgy Options include:

• Memorial Mass

• Mass with Body

• Mass with Cremated Remains

• Mass with or without Music

• Music Director only or Music Director & Cantor

• Family-selected readings, psalm, and Gospel

• Seasonal liturgical options during Easter

Includes: Vigil • Funeral Liturgy (Mass)

This option includes both the Vigil Service and the Funeral Mass at St. Mark, allowing time for prayer, remembrance, and worship, without a Committal service.

Includes: Committal Service

The Rite of Committal is the final act of the Church’s care for the deceased. It is normally celebrated at the graveside or place of inurnment and expresses the community’s hope in the resurrection and the communion between the Church on earth and the Church in heaven.

Committal Options include:

• Interment of the Body at a cemetery

• Inurnment of cremated remains at a columbarium

When a Funeral Mass is celebrated, the Committal typically follows immediately afterward and is usually presided over by a deacon.

Includes: Vigil • Committal

This option includes prayer with the community during the Vigil and final prayers at the place of burial or inurnment, without a Funeral Mass.

Includes: Funeral Liturgy (Mass) • Committal

This option includes the Funeral Mass at St. Mark followed by the Rite of Committal at the cemetery or columbarium, without a Vigil Service.