Religious Funeral Services

ANGLICAN

The Anglican funeral order of service is generally structured to include hymns, prayers and a sermon, the usual practice is either to follow the funeral service according to the Book of Common Prayer or Common Worship or a Requiem Eucharist. Funerals are not commonly held on Sundays or any special Holy Days during the year. 

In a traditional burial at a churchyard, a vicar will usually lead a Church of England burial service, giving the proper rites and reciting prayers at the graveside. 

Generally, all guests are welcome to attend the interment. Whether the body will be buried in the ground or entombed in a mausoleum, or whether ashes will be interred in a columbarium or buried in an urn garden, the ceremony will be led by the priest. The priest will recite prayers and commit the body or cremated remains to the earth.

Buddhist

When a Buddhist is close to death, friends and family sit close by to assure the person about the good deeds they’ve done in life and the power these deeds will have in the next incarnation.

A Buddhist funeral is a solemn and dignified ceremony that takes place at the family home, a funeral home, or a Buddhist temple. Religious memorial services are traditionally held on the third, seventh, forty-ninth, and one-hundredth day after the death, though these days can be flexible if they don’t fit into the family’s schedule. The ceremony may be attended by family members or the larger community may be invited to take part. 

There are no formal guidelines, but one can expect prayer and meditation, and possibly sermons and eulogies.

On the morning of the burial or cremation, monks should be invited to perform the last rite. There’ll be chanting and after the ceremony, the casket will be sealed and brought to the funeral hall or to the crematorium. Family members and mourners may carry the casket to the hearse or transportation vehicle, and should follow behind the vehicle in a procession.

Catholic

In its fullest form there are three main stages to a Catholic funeral:

The Reception of the Body or Prayer Vigil, usually the evening before the funeral. This usually happens but is in fact optional. The main part of the ceremony is the funeral Mass or a funeral service without Mass – although Catholics are encouraged to hold the latter, also known as a Requiem Mass because it includes Holy Communion. It therefore has at its heart the commemoration of Christ’s death and resurrection.

The ceremony is then followed by the committal which takes place at the cemetery or crematorium. If the person is to be buried at the cemetery, mourners accompany the coffin to the graveside for the Rite of Committal. There, the priest reads a verse of scripture and says special prayers. The rite ends with those gathered reciting the Lord’s Prayer and the priest delivering a blessing. The rite may end with a hymn or song.