Funeral Rites of the Catholic Church
“For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. ”
In the Funeral Rites of the Catholic Church, we celebrate the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We give thanks to God for the gift of your loved one’s life and their life in Jesus Christ, we pray for their soul that they might have peace and enter heaven, and we grieve with you their loss.
If you need to arrange for a funeral, please call the parish office at 425-392-5516.
Funeral Mass
We typically schedule Funeral Masses on Monday, Thursday and Fridays at 11am. Unfortunately, we are not able to offer Funeral Masses on Saturdays or Sundays. When you contact the parish, we will have one of our Lazarus Ministers or staff help you find a date that is available for you and your family and mutually agreeable for the priest, staff and funeral home. After that initial contact, one of our volunteers will be assigned to be your funeral coordinator or Lazarus Ministry focal. This person is there to help you with most of the details around the Funeral Mass and help coordinate with a Funeral Home, if needed.
The Lazarus Ministry focal will set-up a time to talk to you regarding the service details. If you are Catholic or other Christian, this is an opportunity to review and discuss some of the readings and music that you might want to select for your loved one’s Funeral Mass. You can find those readings and music selections by clicking on the following: First Readings, Second Readings, Gospel Readings, Music Options. We have some pre-planned funeral readings and music to select from. You can use one of these options as a starting point and potentially change some of the selections to ones that you prefer. Click HERE to view the pre-planned options.
In addition, it may be helpful to familiarize yourself and your family with the Order of the Mass. This will help orient you regarding the readings and music selections as well as define potential opportunities for family and friends to participate in the service. Click HERE to do so.
If this is overwhelming, that’s okay. You will be working with a Lazarus Ministry focal who will help you choose or suggest the readings and music for you. The most important part of the Funeral Mass is that we are together to give thanks to God for the life of your loved one and to grieve their loss.
To maintain the sacredness of the events for your loved one, we ask that any eulogy that will be given be by a single person before Mass begins. The Guidelines for the Eulogy can be found HERE.
You can find our suggested fees/donations HERE. Please do not hesitate to let us know if the fees/donations are a hardship. This should not be a reason to forego a funeral service.
Conclusion
It is our hope at St. Joseph’s Parish that families will contact the parish office immediately upon the death of a loved one. Families will be put in touch with a staff person or volunteer who can help walk you through the process of planning a funeral. If needed, we can also put you in touch with a funeral home that is familiar with our Catholic faith traditions and customs. Our goal is to assist you as a part of the greater Catholic family to bury your loved one in a Catholic manner, to assist you in giving thanks to God for their life and especially their hope for eternal life in Christ, and to grieve with you at the time of their loss.
We as a parish family are here to assist you. Please do not hesitate to call upon us. We support you in prayer and assure you that as a community gathered around the Table of the Lord, we pray, “Lord, remember those who have gone before us marked with the sign of faith.” Those you have loved will not be forgotten.
If you have other questions, please feel free to contact us or peruse our Frequently Asked Questions found HERE.
If you’re interested in learning more about or joining our Lazarus Funeral Ministry, click the button below.