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Funerals
A funeral is a ceremony that takes place, marking the death of a person. Questions in this category can include things about the ceremony, traditions, and cultural aspects.
1,593 Questions
Can anyone receive Communion at a Catholic funeral?
Anyone can technically receive Communion, but that is not the way it is supposed to work. You have to be a Catholic first of all, and before anyone receives Communion they are supposed to ask for forgiveness of their sins from God. Catholics believe that you have to ask for forgiveness as well as perform an assigned penance from a priest. Not many Catholics follow this tradition however. Only Catholics in the state of grace - that is, free of mortal sin on their conscience - may receive Communion at a Catholic funeral. Often, as mentioned above, attendees of the funeral feel compelled to go to Communion as an expression of social solidarity, however, reception of the sacrament is not an essential part of participation in a funeral Mass and Communion should not be approached if one is a non-Catholic, or conscious of mortal sin upon one's own soul. To receive while in mortal sin is to commit a grave sacrilege. If one is Catholic and wishes to receive but thinks themselves in mortal sin, it is best to request the sacrament of Confession from a priest before the ceremony. It is highly encouraged to receive the Holy Eucharist, especially in order to offer it for the repose of the deceased.
Why do tongans cut there hair at funerals?
tongans cut there hair at funerals because they are showing respect to the dead person tae head
What color flower should I wear for my father's funeral service?
what ever colour you are comfortable with.
Which president had a pet parrot who had to be removed from his funeral for swearing?
Probably Andrew Jackson, who was a rough-hewn character to begin with, and as the song celebrated was engaged in the Battle of New Orleans with some unsavory Pirates and frontiersmen... so a rough-edged (Old Hickory) may well have had a pornographic parrot!
What are the responsibilities of an usher at a funeral?
An usher at a funeral takes either individual or shared responsibility for escorting mourners towards their seats, pews, or location the family has requested. It allows families to politely manage certain individuals to sit in a preferred area, such as those with actual printed invitations, and to direct those without, politely to another area. An usher may also manage where individuals who are providing a reading or eulogy, are seated, to ensure that they are seated on the aisle, so as not to create congestion for other mourners and maintain a smooth access to the lectern.
An Usher may also be responsible for the distribution of the Order of Service sheets, and in some churches, synagogues, and crematories, to hand out hymnals, or other associated details.
In some cultures, mourners are invited to offer a donation in lieu of flowers. In most cases, provided they are cheques, they may be handed to your trusted Usher. In the United Kingdom, Funeral Directors manage the responsibilities of collecting, documenting, and disbursement of those donations, on behalf of the family, later (up to ninety days), providing the family with an account of the funds received. On Service sheets mourners are also invited to post their donations directly to the funerary service. Sadly, in the US, there has been a number of instances documented where donations arrived at a funeral home and a either a 'handling' fee was deducted from the final sum, as a justification for their auditing and disbursement of funds. Each country and locale may vary in their traditions and customs.
Finally, the Usher may also be requested to extend invitations to mourners to sign a visitors book. Many families use these for writing thank you cards. However, this custom has reduced substantially over the past decade and is now occasionally thought of only when having been sold to the family as an ancillary feature for the funeral. (where additional costs are levied.)
Can you ask that the funeral director does not close the mouth?
It isn't recommended, as the jaw will sag and the inside of the mouth isn't going to be very pleasant to look at.
Who did eulogy at bill Wilson the co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous funeral?
Yev Gardner at St. John the Divine in New York city. From Marty Mann's biography.
What are some of the reasons one should use DeVargas Funeral Home for funeral services?
DeVargas are competitively priced, compassionate and experienced in catering to your funeral needs. It's not recommended if you don't live local to it though, chose one closer to home.
Is there a discount to fly to a funeral in another state?
Currently, a number of Australian offer a published rate for families travelling out of state for a family funeral. Each has its own policies for documenting the validity of the funeral, ranging from a fax from the Funeral Director, to simply a call made to the Funeral Director to verify.
However, many and most funeral rates are far higher in cost than the most discounted airfares. The reasoning is that a funeral tariff permits the passenger to return, if required, the following day, etc. Whereas the most discounted fare may require either a minimum stay or at least staying over a Saturday night. The same applies to the Australian Rail.
In India, at present, there are no known funeral concession airfares for intrastate air travel. However, Indian Rail offer a funeral family rate for First Class rail travel. It has numerous restrictions and qualifiers, such as certified Death Certificate. There is currently no funeral tariff for 2nd or 3rd class travel, presumably because of the difficulty for some caste groups in even being able to document a death and at times, even a birth!
In the americas, the International carriers, DL, UA, US, AA etc do have funeral tariffs. However, the restrictions and policies vary drastically. One carrier has been known to be quite relaxed in forcing the passenger to validate the funeral before the flight, but reminding the passenger that they must present 'valid' proof (an often elusive term) that your bona fides stack up. When arriving at the check-in counter, the passenger has been asked for the 1. Death Certificate, 2. The Letter from The Funeral Director, and 3. Proof that they're related to the deceased! When the passenger cannot present the proof to the carrier's heretofore 'advised' requirements, the passenger is offered the choice to purchase a ticket at the THEN prevailing tariff. This means the passenger no longer has access to the 14 day advance purchase fares, the stay over Saturday night fares, or other restrictive fares. Their only option is to purchase, subject to availability, a point-to-point published fare which can run into the thousands! It can be devastating for the passenger and it can be yet another notch in the long list of 'We told you so...oh and by the way, have a niiice day!) scenarios.
Historically, the already reduced fares of some airlines, such as Southwest, or similar, do not traditionally publish such fares, stating that their fares are already far lower and less restrictive than other airlines.
If your travel needs to be on one of the 'biggie' carriers in Australia or the americas, considering speaking to a supervisor at the reservation centre, explaining your situation and explaining that you already have all of the documentation they should ask for (make certain you do!). If it's a good day, you sound contrite or mournful enough, you may find that the supervisor has authority to grant you one of the discount advance-purchase fares, without having to book far in advance. However, in the same thought, they may still require that you honour the other conditions of the fare, such as staying over a Saturday night.
Finally, if you are a member of their Frequent Flier scheme...and you actually have a Substantial record of flights with them...not the occasional one or two a year, but instead the amount to yield a platinum or black card, then there are other 'considerations' the carriers may take towards assisting one of their WKRP's (well known respected passengers). VIP's are what every passenger thinks they are and what they claim as a right due them. The airlines consider those who fly as, or demand to be, or have been presented as VIP's, receive that very specific service the passenger demands- Vain, Insolent, Plebs!
What is the burier at a funeral called?
Pall bearers are those who carry the coffin to its last place of rest. as there are numerous size variations of coffins and their inhabitants this could be as few as four or many more pallbearers. The graves are dug with mechanical machinery ( backhoes usually) this is done by the cemetery people, and not the undertakers proper.
How can I find out if a funeral home has sold a relatives organs to defray the funeral cost?
By the time the body gets to the funeral home too much time will have passed for the organs to be of any value. Even if they were, it would not be worth the risk of adverse publicity for the funeral director to consider harvesting them.
What is considered to be a FTD funeral flower?
There are several different flowers that are considered to be a FTD funeral flower. Some of these include lilies, carnations, roses, and chrysanthemums.
What flower color is used for British funeral?
Normally red or white roses or carnations or even both flowers and both colours.
How did the tradition of open casket funerals start?
The tradition of open casket funerals began when the first Europeans to settle in North America brought with them the tradition of laying the body out inside the home before it was buried. It was during this time that neighbours could visit the home of the bereaved and take a final look at the deceased.This act of viewing the dead soon became part of what modern funerals call the "wake".
Because there was no modern funeral home, cabinet and furniture makers were commissioned to "undertake" the task of building the caskets for the deceased, which would require them to go to the home and take measurements of the body before building the caskets in their shops.
Eventually, as the modern funeral home began to take form after the Civil War, funeral homes continued to use the tradition of the "wake", which was once a three day/night vigil to ensure the deceased was in dead as loved ones "watched" over the body.
How many hours is the funeral for Coptic orthodox?
Generally speaking the funerals take about half an hour for the prayer.
How do they prepare a damaged skull for a closed casket funeral?
You answered your own question, if the casket is closed- there is no viewing, so no need to cosmeticize the remains, apart from health considerations- he or she would be embalmed, and one hopes, dressed. as the legal phrase goes- this case is closed. a photograph of the deceased- say good portrait head-shot ( no pun intended) should be prominently displayed to show what the deceased looked like in life!
How does one send flowers across the US?
Sending flowers to a loved one across the US is a simple and nice gesture to let an individual know one is thinking of them. Most florists now a days are able to wire flowers and baskets from one local to another and offer this service on their websites. One can also order online from Teleflora as well as Grower's Direct.
