Sacred Heart Church extends her sincerest condolences to the family of the deceased. Our parish is available for any kind of assistance to the family at any time. Grief counseling is provided free of charge. Please contact the rectory for more information.
HYMNS:The Family of the Deceased may choose as many as Four (4) Hymns. Click the link for a list of hymns that are appropriate for a Funeral Mass.
READINGS: Family members have the option of participating in the Funeral Mass by proclaiming the Word of God. There are two reading assignments in which family participation is invited: (1) The First Reading, from the Old Testament; (2) the Second Reading, from the New Testament. Because proclaiming God’s Word is such a serious task and a liturgical ministry, only practicing Catholics are permitted to serve as lector at a Funeral Mass. By “practicing Catholic” we mean one who, in general, attends Mass each and every Sunday and Holy Day of Obligation. The family may choose one reading from the list of first reading options and one reading from the list of second reading options. The readers of the first and second readings can print the text and bring the text to the Funeral Mass.
Click below for First Reading Options Links:
First Reading Option #1 [Wisdom 3: 1-6, 9]
First Reading Option #2 [Job 19:1, 23-27]
First Reading Option #3 [Daniel 12:1-3]
First Reading Option #4 [Ecclesiastes 3:1-8]
First Reading Option #5 [Isaiah 25:6, 7-9]
Click below for Second Reading Options Links:
Second Reading Option #1 [1 John 3:1-2]
Second Reading Option #2 [Acts 10:34-43]
Second Reading Option #3 [Romans 5:1, 5-11]
Second Reading Option #4 [1 Corinthians 2:6-10]
Second Reading Option #5 [Revelation 21:1-5, 6-7]
GIFTS OF BREAD AND WINE: The family can select two persons to bring forward the gifts of bread and wine to the Altar before the Eucharistic Prayer.
EULOGIES: Cardinal Dolan describes the purpose of the eulogy as “expressing gratitude to God for the person, thanking those who have offered support, and affectionately recalling a bit of the life of the deceased.”(Catholic New York, November 12, 2015). He points out that a eulogy is better at the wake or at the cemetery. Persons requesting to do a eulogy should ask themselves, “Can the eulogy be done for the deceased at the wake, cemetery or repast?” and “Am I the right one from the family to do the eulogy?”.
One person chosen by the family may do a eulogy at the funeral Mass in church. At the beginning of the service, the priest will invite the eulogist by name to come forward to speak. The eulogy should be three to five minutes. Only one eulogy is permitted. It should be delivered from a prepared text. That text should be submitted to the pastor before the Funeral Mass. Please send it as an attached Word document to frrheygarcia@gmail.com. When the eulogy is type-written and read from the pulpit, the speech remains steady and clear in the midst of the deep emotions of the moment. The speech is then more effectively communicated.
SELECTIONS FORM: The family can print out their choices for the funeral Mass and bring the sheet to the wake or scan the form to Father Rhey at frrheygarcia@gmail.com. To download the form:
Sacred Heart Church Funeral Mass Selections Form Link