Catholic Funeral Program: Mass Order and Readings

A Catholic funeral program follows the Mass. Guests who are not Catholic use it to know when to sit, stand and kneel, and Catholics use it for the readings and hymns. The order below follows the Order of Christian Funerals, the book the Church in the United States uses for funerals. Your parish may adjust details, so share the draft with the priest or the parish funeral coordinator before you print.

The order of a Catholic funeral Mass

Introductory Rites

• Greeting and Sprinkling with Holy Water. The priest meets the coffin at the church door and sprinkles it, a reminder of baptism.
• Placing of the Pall. A white cloth is placed over the coffin, often by family members.
• Entrance Song.
• Collect. The opening prayer.

Liturgy of the Word

• First Reading, usually from the Old Testament. Often read by a family member.
• Responsorial Psalm, often Psalm 23, sung or said.
• Second Reading, from the New Testament letters.
• Gospel Acclamation and Gospel, read by the priest or deacon.
• Homily.
• Universal Prayer, the prayers of the faithful, often read by a family member.

Liturgy of the Eucharist

• Preparation of the Gifts, often brought up by grandchildren.
• Eucharistic Prayer.
• Communion.

Final Commendation

• Words of Remembrance, where the parish allows them, by one family member, kept brief.
• Invitation to Prayer and a moment of silence.
• Song of Farewell.
• Prayer of Commendation.

Then the Procession to the Place of Committal, the burial.

Readings families often choose

The Order of Christian Funerals offers a set of readings to choose from. Common choices:

• First reading: Wisdom 3:1-9 (“The souls of the just are in the hand of God”), Isaiah 25, Lamentations 3.
• Psalm: Psalm 23, Psalm 27, Psalm 63.
• Second reading: Romans 6:3-9, Romans 8, 1 Thessalonians 4, Revelation 21.
• Gospel: John 11:17-27 (“I am the resurrection and the life”), John 14:1-6, Matthew 5 (the Beatitudes).

The readings in the US Lectionary use a translation that is under copyright, so a program usually prints the reference and the opening line, and the reader reads from the Lectionary. If you want the full text printed, the Douay-Rheims translation is in the public domain; for example, Wisdom 3:1: “But the souls of the just are in the hand of God, and the torment of death shall not touch them.”

Hymns

Popular at Catholic funerals: “On Eagle’s Wings”, “Be Not Afraid”, “Ave Maria”, “Amazing Grace”, “How Great Thou Art” and “Abide with Me”. Most modern hymns are under copyright, so print the title and let the music director handle the rest.

The prayer card

Catholic prayer cards traditionally carry the Eternal Rest prayer:

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.

The Hail Mary and the Prayer of Saint Francis are also common. More in the prayer cards guide.

Wording for the cover

“Mass of Christian Burial for” is the traditional line above the name. “In loving memory of” works too. Add the date, the time and the church.

Make the Catholic program

In the funeral program template, pick “Catholic Funeral Mass”. The order above fills in with the section headings, the readings’ references and the Eternal Rest prayer for the card. You type the readers’ names, and the parish can comment on the proof through the family link.