Understanding Catholic Funeral Rites

Understanding Catholic Funeral Rites is of little concern to anyone, Catholic or non, right up until the day when they find themselves faced with the loss of a close friend, relative or associate who happens to be Catholic. Then understanding the meaning invested in the Catholic Funeral Rites can become of considerable interest and may give you consolation and assistance at what will of course be a difficult time. The Catholic Funeral Rites which in their entirety are more correctly called the Rite of Christian Burial are intended, at least in part, to serve the needs of the bereaved for comfort, closure and peace. Those close to the deceased will find that the Rite of Christian Burial is really a three part service which includes the Vigil, also called the Wake, the Funeral Liturgy or Mass and finally the Rite of Committal. Depending on your relationship with the deceased Catholic you may wish to participate in some or all of these portions of the Rite of Christian Burial.

The Vigil or Wake. Every organized religion has its own way of assisting the bereaved and acknowledging the departure of the spirit of the deceased. In the Catholic tradition a reasonable amount of time is set aside usually a day or so after the death to provide for a "Vigil" or "Wake" service. The purpose of the Wake is to begin almost immediately to help those who are grieving to put the life and death of the deceased into the context of his or her faith. For this reason two things take place at a Catholic Wake. First friends and relatives of the deceased person gather to give one another mutual support and extend their condolences especially to the immediate family the person who has died.