The following resources are provided to help you prepare for the celebration of your loved one’s funeral liturgy at St. Kevin Church.
Please do not hesitate to contact the rectory if you have any questions or need assistance (718) 357-8888.
Please review these resources and fill out the funeral planning worksheet below. Please submit completed Funeral Planning Worksheet to the Funeral Director or you can email it directly from the “Electronic Version of Funeral Planner”.
We Christians recognize that by Baptism we are washed free of Original Sin, as well as configured to Christ and incorporated into His Body. This is why, at our deepest reality, we are all brothers and sisters in Christ. Burying the Dead is one of the Corporal Works of Mercy. We recognize that the communion of Saints is the Church Militant (we who are here on earth), the Church Suffering (those souls in purgatory), and the Church Triumphant.
At the Wake Service:
A member of the clergy from St. Kevin, at a designated time will arrive at the location that the wake service is being held and conduct a prayer service. Prior to the prayer service, the priest or deacon may speak privately with the immediate family of their loved one. At this time he may review with the family the funeral planning worksheet that should have been given to the family by the Funeral Director. He may have additional questions at which he will ask at that time.
At the Funeral Mass:
At the Mass of Christian burial we the Church here on earth pray for the soul that has passed into new life to assist him/her during the time of preparation for glory. We pray for the deceased but we also pray for those who mourn the passing of a loved one that they may be comforted by our faith in the love and mercy of God.
The Mass of Christian burial (The Funeral Mass or what was formerly the Requiem Mass) is evocative of Baptism. Holy Water is used to sprinkle the coffin, the Pascal candle is lighted, the pall (white cloth) is draped over the coffin. During the Mass incense is used to reverence the body of the deceased as it was a temple of the Holy Spirit.
Typically the Funeral Director will contact the parish to make arrangements for the Funeral Mass. You will be asked to choose from some selected readings for the Mass and some hymns (planning sheet can be found at the top of this page). The loved ones may act as lectors, pallbearers, and gift bearers.
It is important that the family take care to ensure that the remains of the deceased are properly reverenced. This means that remains ought to be interred in a cemetery, preferably a Catholic Cemetery, with the souls of other believers as a sign of our communion of faith. If the remains are cremated, they ought to be placed in a cemetery niche or columbarium. It is understandable that we might want to keep the cremated remains at home with us because of our love for the deceased. Unfortunately, this practice can lead to great disrespect for the person we love if, because of death, old age, or simply the passage of time, the remains are discarded or misplaced. We need a place that is dignified and permanent to go to pay our respect and offer prayers for the dead.