The Catholic Church, through its Funeral Rites, commends those who have died to God's merciful love and expresses our faith in Christ's victory over death. 

Here at St. Mary's, we wish to show our support for you during this very difficult time and to assist you in making arrangements for your departed loved one.

In most instances, you will be speaking with a funeral director who will ably assist you in contacting our parish to determine the time for the funeral Mass and provide the necessary information.

A priest from the parish will be in touch with you to discuss the details of the Mass once the day and time are determined.


There are three distinct parts of the Funeral Rites.  These are:
 
The wake service takes place during the visiting hours at the funeral home that you have chosen.  A priest or deacon will lead the brief prayer service.
 
This is the most important part of the funeral rites. Here we offer Mass for the deceased loved ones, as we commend them to the Lord and unite our prayers with Christ through the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. You are invited to choose the Scripture readings, the various prayers as well as other elements of the Mass. A priest from the parish will assist you in making your choices. You may see the selections in the documents to the left.
 
As Catholics, we strongly believe in the proper reverence due the body of the deceased through burial of the body or cremated remains. The priest/deacon accompanies the family to the cemetery where the body or cremains are to be buried. The accompanying prayers remind us that, because of our faith in Christ, the grave is a sign of hope that promises resurrection even as it claims our mortal remains.


Read more about Preparing a Funeral Mass in the document located to the right.