Roman Catholic Funeral Ceremony

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Roman Catholic & Orthodox Funeral Rites A funeral rite is defined as a ceremony or group of ceremonies held in connection with the burial or cremation of a dead person. The Orthodox Church and Roman Catholic Church have many similarities along with even more differences when comparing the funeral rites of each. Of all the Christian religions in the world, the Roman Catholic Church is the largest by far, having almost one-billion members world-wide with the United States claiming fifty-five million of those members. The Orthodox Church has a total population of around 5 million members in the United States alone. Along with a large amount of members, the Orthodox Church is considered to have the most titles according to the location and make-up …show more content…
For both religions, the clergy who will be contacted is called a priest. There are some considerations that take place in the Roman Catholic Church. Normally, factors such as time of death and place of death each play a role in the family’s decision for the appropriate time to notify the clergy. Families of this faith will not contact the priest in the middle of the night because they feel that the information can wait until morning. The family of the deceased are usually the ones to contact their priest. It is not necessary that the priest of an Orthodox church be contacted unless members of the deceased family asks the funeral director to do …show more content…
The Orthodox Church’s visitation is called a Trisagion, which is a series of three services or blessings. It is held the evening before the funeral, immediately after the funeral and again at the cemetery. Candles must be placed at each end of the casket with a cross being behind the casket and an icon, which are pictures usually of Christ and the Mother of God, at the foot end of the casket. For the Roman Catholic visitation, vigil candles are placed at each end of the casket. A prie dieu, or kneeling bench, is placed in front of the casket with a crucifix behind the foot panel of the casket. Mass cards and prayer cards are used as well and usually placed near the register book or at the entrance of the chapel. Depending on where the visitation takes place, music and flowers are not permitted. The Roman Catholic Church also has a Rosary Service, also known as a Wake, that is held the evening before the funeral Mass. It is led by a priest, family member, friend or even funeral director that knows how to perform such service. This service provides time for the community to share with the family a series of prayers and allows a time of reflection on the meaning of life and
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