Funeral Mass
We are currently scheduling Funeral Masses on weekdays at noon. Unfortunately, we are never able to offer Funeral Masses on Saturdays or Sundays. When you contact the parish, one of our staff will help you find a date that is available. After that initial contact, one of our Funeral Ministry volunteers will be assigned to be your funeral coordinator. This person is there to help you with some of the details around the Funeral Mass.
A priest will also reach out to you. He will try and find a time for you and some of your family to come to the parish so that we might talk about the life of your loved one. If you are Catholic or other Christian, this is an opportunity to discuss some of the readings that you might find helpful for your loved one’s Funeral Mass and if anyone in the family might like to participate in one of the ministries of the Mass. You can find those readings here:
If this is overwhelming, that’s okay. It is okay to ask Father to choose the readings 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 given by a single person before Mass begins. The priest will discuss with you more about what this looks like to honor your loved one.
Rites of Christian Burial
The Church also has prayers and rites for your loved one before we place them at their final place of rest. Even if a Funeral Mass is not said, the Church desires that all who are Catholics have a Christian burial. Ordinarily, the Rites of Christian Burial occur immediately following the Funeral Mass. This provides good closure for all of your family and friends.
If you have a plot at our Calvary Catholic Cemetery in Tumwater, we will work with you to ensure that all is prepared on the day of burial. We ask that you contact the Steward for Cemeteries at (360) 292-7100 so he can assist you and us.
If your loved one is not being buried at Calvary Cemetery and you are working with another funeral home, let us know. They will assist us in making sure that we are able to bury your loved one in the way that they would desire: as a Catholic.
If the Funeral Mass for your loved one will not occur, burials take place during normal business hours during the week and a deacon will most likely assist you with those prayers.
Conclusion
It is our hope at Saint Michael 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 who can help put you in touch with a funeral home that is familiar with our Catholic faith traditions and customs and walk you through the process of planning a funeral. 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.
The Funeral Ministry at Saint Michael Parish is a wonderful commitment to our community. It is “The Church interceding on behalf of the deceased because of its confident belief that death is not the end” and ministering to the grieving “consoling them in the funeral rites with the comforting word of God and the sacrament of the Eucharist.” – from The Order of Christian Funerals
