Planning a Funeral Liturgy
Dear friend,
The parishioners of St. Fabian, our pastor, Father Jeff Day, and I, would first of all like to extend our sincere condolences for your loss. It is never easy to lose a loved one, no matter their age or circumstances. Know that you and your family will be in our prayers.
To make the funeral mass of your loved one as personal and meaningful as possible, and in an effort to ease the overwhelming confusion that can occur at this time, we offer the following in the hopes that it will alleviate some of the questions and concerns you may have concerning your loved one’s funeral mass of resurrection.
Attached are a liturgy information sheet, and copies of the readings and music that you may choose from. After reviewing the attached materials and filling in the requested information, please call the parish office at 248-553-4610 to schedule an appointment with me at least one day before the funeral liturgy so that we can go over the information together to make sure that everything is there. At that time you would need to bring the “Funeral Liturgy Planning Information” sheet with you. The remaining information is yours to keep, and to use for practicing the readings. There will be duplicate copies of the readings and the general intercessions chosen (all in a larger font) in the church the morning of the funeral for the readers to use. Father will have those.
The parish does offer a luncheon immediately following the mass for parish families for a $7 per person guaranteed fee. If you would be interested in that, please contact me at 248-553-4610 during business hours, or your funeral director who will give you my after hours contact information, as soon as possible so that the volunteers who run the luncheon have time to shop and prepare—they must have at least 72 hours advance notice. You will need to give me an approximate number of guests at that time.
IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER:
- No eulogies during the liturgy—a wonderful alternate is either at the funeral home or the luncheon
- If interested in the luncheon, please contact me at the number listed above ASAP
- There is a $7 per person guaranteed fee charged for the luncheon, which simply covers the cost of the food
- The luncheon will be held immediately following the liturgy BEFORE going to the cemetery
- There is a 25 person minimum and a 200 person maximum for the luncheon
- A member of the family must be a registered parishioner for the parish to host the luncheon
If you find you have questions that cannot be answered with the materials given, please don’t hesitate to call me and I will be happy to assist you in whatever way I can.
May God’s peace be with you and your family in this time of sorrow,
Celia St. Charles
Pastoral Associate
