The post-Pandemic Funeral

Since the beginning of the Covid Pandemic, speculation about what a “new normal” will look like once the pandemic ends have been on people’s minds. One area I have thought about is changes in funeral practices. In the early days of the pandemic, restrictions limited public gatherings and suspended the celebration of funerals. It was impossible to follow the tradition of wakes, funeral Masses, and committal services. Families postponed many funerals hoping they could hold them once infections subsided. Last spring, as the first pandemic wave subsided, there was a crush of funerals. At one priest’s meeting, some of us commented that bodies were literally coming out of the closet. Still, most funerals were truncated because families were reluctant to have large gatherings of people. Now I wonder if we will ever revive our former funeral practices.

I feel it would be a significant loss if we don’t go back to our traditional Catholic funeral practices. Catholic funeral traditions have developed over the centuries and fulfill our need for a healthy grief process. They are in marked contrast to the so-called “Celebration of Life” that only focuses on the past. Our Catholic traditions point towards the glory of eternal life. The wake gives us time to gather the decease’s family and friends to let the death of a loved one become a reality. As we assemble in the presence of the body, we start to reminisce about the person and the impact they had on the world. In recent years the giving of eulogies has crept into Catholic Funeral Masses. The Wake Service is the better place for tributes because it is a time to remember the deceased.

The purpose of the Funeral Mass is to shift our focus to the future. For faithful Christians, death is a new beginning. God created us for eternal life, so death is not the end but the beginning of a new chapter. Whenever we celebrate the Eucharist, we believe we are getting a little glimpse of heaven. At a funeral Mass, we see a little bit of the glory the deceased is witnessing before God.

The committal service at the cemetery is short, the prayers are simple, and we easily respond to them. It is a time for silence and speaking in muted tones as we make our final good-byes and the finality of death sinks in. A good funeral offers the mourners a kind of near-death experience to take with us as we ponder our mortality.

Our American culture denies death, and it likes to sanitize it and get us to move on quickly. Funerals force us to pause and sit with the finality of our lives, and it forces us to contemplate termination and the end. Spiritual author Sr. Joyce Rupp has written that we need to convince people that death is not the worst thing in the world. Funerals help us come close to death and not be so afraid of it.

President Joe Biden has been criticized for attending so many funerals. Some commentators have disparaged him for not giving up the role of national “mourner-in-chief,” one usually filled by the Vice-President. Biden has suffered many losses. His first wife and toddler daughter died in a traffic accident soon after he was first elected to the Senate, and he has known the death of his adult son. He is very familiar with grief and loss and wants to reciprocate by offering solace to others. It is often difficult, but we will never regret going to a wake or funeral.

I hope we revive our Catholic funeral practices in a post-pandemic world. They can help us deal with the many varied losses we experienced during the pandemic. I encourage all parishioners to think about making plans for their deaths. Make your desires known to your family even if it makes them feel uneasy. Talk to a legal advisor and funeral director. Do some pre-planning. At the back of the church are pamphlets entitled “Understanding and Planning Catholic Funerals. Take one and read it over. It will help you understand Catholic funeral traditions and their place in planning your funeral and those of your loved ones.

Fr. Sullivan on Vacation

Fr. Sullivan is on vacation this week. Fr. Hugh “Mick” McCullough, the newly retired pastor of St. Peter’s in Provincetown, is filling in for him. Please welcome Fr. McCullough today.

Diocesan Pro-Life Apostolate Offers Presentation

The Pro-Life Office of the Diocese of Fall River is offering a presentation at St. Francis Xavier in Hyannis on Saturday, February 12. It will occur after Morning Mass and Rosary, from approximately 9:45-11:15. Speakers from the Pro-Life Office will be talking about several programs, including Walking with Moms in Need, Project Rachel, and the Pro-Life Boot Camp. Refreshments will be served.

Baby Bottle Boomerang Progresses

Please return your contribution to the Baby Bottle Boomerang this weekend. Throughout January, Holy Redeemer conducted a Baby Bottle Boomerang to support A Woman’s Concern - Your Options Medical. This organization provides no-cost life-affirming pregnancy confirmation services to women and couples facing unplanned pregnancies. Please fill your bottle with your loose change, cash, or a check and return them to church the weekend of February 8/9. You can make checks payable to “Your Options Medical” if you decide to donate by check.

SYNOD NEWS – Next Listening Session on February 26

Don’t forget to participate in one of Holy Redeemer’s Synod listening sessions. We would very much like to hear your vision for the parish and the Catholic Church in general. The next in-person listening session will be held in the parish hall on Saturday, February 26, at 1:00 pm. If you cannot make it to one of the in-person listening sessions, please complete a paper survey instead. Surveys are available at the back of the church and can be completed and returned at your convenience.

“There is no need to create another church,” Pope Francis declared, when announcing the Synod, “but to create a different church.” The words Pope Francis chose were those of Yves Congar, one of the great theologians of the Second Vatican Council. The hope is that Pope Francis’ Synod will also represent a path to a profound renewal and transformation of the Catholic Church worldwide.

Pope Francis also insisted that involving as many people as possible in the synod and prayerfully listening to all of them is the only way to recognize the call of the Holy Spirit. He concluded his remarks by stating, “I am certain the Spirit will guide us and give us the grace to move forward together.”

Please join us in the synod process and share your thoughts.