A Guide To Catholic Funeral Etiquette

Posted by eternityfunerals on December 27th, 2019

Catholics believe that following death, they’ll leave their physical life & enter the afterlife. It’s a thought that a person’s soul may go to heaven, hell or purgatory, relying on the actions of the individuals in their physical life.

Usually, a priest is called when a person is about to pass away so that they can direct Holy Communication & do other catholic funeral rituals to the individual prior to death.

How long does a catholic funeral last?

The duration of a catholic funeral will generally rely on whether or not there’s a funeral mass. A Catholic funeral service without mass may take nearly forty minutes. A funeral with mass could take at least 1 hour. The rituals which may happen at the ceremony will generally last about twenty minutes.

What are Catholic funeral traditions?

Customarily, burial is needed by the Catholic Church, and preserving is acceptable. A catholic priest will lead over the burial rituals to lay the person to rest.
Until 1963, the Catholic Church didn’t identify burial as an acceptable practice. Since then, pursuers of the Catholic Church can be cremated.

In 2016 the Catholic Church issues extra guidance that a Catholic’s burial ashes shouldn’t be scattered or kept in an urn at home. Rather, the ashes must be interred in a burial plot or kept in a columbarium approved by the church.

Organ donation can be a contentious topic with Catholicism, but now is widely accepted, with many Catholics seeing the donation of organs as a final charitable act at the end of one’s life.

What to wear to a catholic funeral:

Mourners at Catholic funerals usually put on smart clothing in dark colors. A black or dark colored suit and tie for men is conventional, and smart black dress or suit for ladies.

Mourners also need to dress humbly, with not a great deal of skin revelation, though things like specific garments or head covering aren’t needed.

An increasing number of churches are open to colourful dress codes and other alternative options, but if in doubt, avoid casual clothing such as jeans, sports, clothes, hoodies, trainers and slogan t-shirts.

At Eternity Funerals we understand the pain of losing someone dear. And that is why we are here to assist you at every step of the funeral process. We are the most preferred Catholic Funeral Directors in London and the surrounding areas.