Office of Worship

Planning a Catholic Funeral

The Catholic Church offers a tremendous gift to those who are mourning in her funeral rites, which contain all the stages of memory, grief, and hope. Whether you are approaching the funeral of a departed loved one or planning ahead to your own funeral, the following resources are meant to assist you in preparing for this moving occasion with dignity, beauty, and all the riches of our Catholic tradition.

Printable Resources for Funerals

Funeral Planning Guide

This 8-page guide is to be used by pastors and parishioners either to plan the funeral of a loved one who has died, or to facilitate a funeral pre-planning workshop hosted by the parish. Includes a fill-in-the-blank planning form.

Funeral Planning Form

This simple fill-in-the-blank form is a resource for priests who are working with families to plan the funeral of a loved one. It is the same form contained at the end of the Funeral Planning Guide.

Editable Worship Aid

This editable PDF may be downloaded and edited to create a personalized half-legal-sized 8-page worship aid for funerals which can include the name of the deceased, the date, song names and numbers, an obituary, and more.

Permanent Worship Aid

This PDF may be downloaded and used to create a half-legal-sized 12-page worship aid which may be printed by a parish (parish name can be added) and re-used regularly for funerals. It includes a full Order of the Mass, quotations explaining the funeral rite, and music selections for the entrance chant, song of farewell, and recessional.

Complete Worship Aid

This PDF may be downloaded and used to create a half-legal-sized 32-page worship aid which may be printed by a parish and re-used regularly for funerals. It includes a full Order of the Mass, music for the Mass Parts, music selections for the entrance chant, song of farewell, and recessional, as well as a back section of funeral hymns. This resource can be used without a hymnal.