NO MORE EULOGY AT ST. CLEMENT PARISH. - Posted 9/18/2023
Recently, Bishop Caggiano had a meeting with the pastors of the diocese and in that meeting he encouraged us to stop the abuse of eulogies at the Mass of Christian burial. This abuse has infiltrated the Church for the past 30 years, so as of October 1st, 2023, there will be no eulogies given at the Mass of Christian Burial at St. Clement Parish. In 1989 the Vatican published the revised Order of Christian Funerals (OCF) for the Church in the United States. It states: “A brief homily based on the readings should always be given at the funeral liturgy, but never any kind of eulogy. (#141). In the revised General Instruction of The Roman Missal promulgated by John Paul II in the year 2000, this prohibition of eulogies was again restated: “At the Funeral Mass there should as rule, be a short homily, but never a eulogy of any kind,”
With that said, the correct place for any eulogy is at the funeral parlor, at the vigil for the deceased, or at some restaurant or gathering place after the committal, or even at the graveside.
The word “eulogy” comes from the Greek word “eulogia,” which literally means “true words of praise.” In the strictest sense a eulogy can be given for someone who is still alive. Why do we have to wait until our loved one dies to praise them? We should do so while they are still with us. Also, at the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the only person who should receive praise is Jesus Christ. The Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is a holy sacrifice, because it is Christ who acts in the person of the priest. In The Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass Christ offers Himself for us. It is the same sacrifice as on the Cross but on the altar, it is offered in an unbloody manner. We should never take the focus off of Jesus Christ at any Mass being offered. We need to show respect and reverence for this.
I am not sure all the priests of the diocese are going to stop the abuse of eulogies. If Fr. Joe Bloke from the neighboring parish or from some other parish is not following the Church’s teaching on eulogies not permitted at the Mass of Christian burial, I can’t speak for his conscience; I can speak only for mine.
Mass of Christian Burial.
For the Mass of Christian burial, families can choose the first two readings; one from the Old Testament and one from the New Testament, plus a responsorial psalm (If not sung at the Mass). The corpus (body) of these readings is chosen by the Church because of the emphasis on the Paschal Mystery. There is no customizing these readings. I have had parishioners coming to me asking to change the readings and replace it with a favorite passage of the deceased, or one that they prefer over these readings. This is not allowed for the Mass of Christian burial. Again, there is a time and place for these things. It can be read by a family member at the vigil, in the funeral parlor, or at the graveside.
Music at The Mass of Christian burial.
The music for the Mass of Christian burial is chosen from our hymnal; they are Catholic hymns. No secular music is to be used at the Mass of Christian burial. I have had requests for Danny Boy, which is a political song, requests for I did It My Way, which is the theme song for hell; Satan did it his way, not God’s way. Neither are Broadway musicals allowed, even if they were favorites of the deceased. There is a time and place for all these things, but not in the Church.
The Mass of Christian Burial.
The Mass of Christian burial is not a “remembrance of the deceased’s life.” There are three main reasons for the Mass of Christian burial: 1) “At the funeral Mass, The Church gathers with the family and friends of the deceased to give praise and thanks to God for Christ’s victory over sin and death.” 2) “to commend the deceased to God’s tender mercy and compassion, and to seek strength in the proclamation of the Paschal Mystery.” 3) This should be a time of introspection for all of us; how ready are we to appear before the judgment throne of God? Death is inevitable for all of us. As the 16th century English poet John Donne so honestly reminds us in his poem: “For whom the bell tolls; it tolls for Thee.”
THERE WILL BE NO CONCESSION MADE OF THESE TEACHINGS. IF I DO IT FOR ONE, JUSTICE DEMANDS I DO IT FOR ALL. THEN WE ARE BACK TO THE SAME POSITION OF ACCEPTING ABUSE OF THE MOST HOLY SACRIFICE OF THE MASS.
Recently, Bishop Caggiano had a meeting with the pastors of the diocese and in that meeting he encouraged us to stop the abuse of eulogies at the Mass of Christian burial. This abuse has infiltrated the Church for the past 30 years, so as of October 1st, 2023, there will be no eulogies given at the Mass of Christian Burial at St. Clement Parish. In 1989 the Vatican published the revised Order of Christian Funerals (OCF) for the Church in the United States. It states: “A brief homily based on the readings should always be given at the funeral liturgy, but never any kind of eulogy. (#141). In the revised General Instruction of The Roman Missal promulgated by John Paul II in the year 2000, this prohibition of eulogies was again restated: “At the Funeral Mass there should as rule, be a short homily, but never a eulogy of any kind,”
With that said, the correct place for any eulogy is at the funeral parlor, at the vigil for the deceased, or at some restaurant or gathering place after the committal, or even at the graveside.
The word “eulogy” comes from the Greek word “eulogia,” which literally means “true words of praise.” In the strictest sense a eulogy can be given for someone who is still alive. Why do we have to wait until our loved one dies to praise them? We should do so while they are still with us. Also, at the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the only person who should receive praise is Jesus Christ. The Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is a holy sacrifice, because it is Christ who acts in the person of the priest. In The Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass Christ offers Himself for us. It is the same sacrifice as on the Cross but on the altar, it is offered in an unbloody manner. We should never take the focus off of Jesus Christ at any Mass being offered. We need to show respect and reverence for this.
I am not sure all the priests of the diocese are going to stop the abuse of eulogies. If Fr. Joe Bloke from the neighboring parish or from some other parish is not following the Church’s teaching on eulogies not permitted at the Mass of Christian burial, I can’t speak for his conscience; I can speak only for mine.
Mass of Christian Burial.
For the Mass of Christian burial, families can choose the first two readings; one from the Old Testament and one from the New Testament, plus a responsorial psalm (If not sung at the Mass). The corpus (body) of these readings is chosen by the Church because of the emphasis on the Paschal Mystery. There is no customizing these readings. I have had parishioners coming to me asking to change the readings and replace it with a favorite passage of the deceased, or one that they prefer over these readings. This is not allowed for the Mass of Christian burial. Again, there is a time and place for these things. It can be read by a family member at the vigil, in the funeral parlor, or at the graveside.
Music at The Mass of Christian burial.
The music for the Mass of Christian burial is chosen from our hymnal; they are Catholic hymns. No secular music is to be used at the Mass of Christian burial. I have had requests for Danny Boy, which is a political song, requests for I did It My Way, which is the theme song for hell; Satan did it his way, not God’s way. Neither are Broadway musicals allowed, even if they were favorites of the deceased. There is a time and place for all these things, but not in the Church.
The Mass of Christian Burial.
The Mass of Christian burial is not a “remembrance of the deceased’s life.” There are three main reasons for the Mass of Christian burial: 1) “At the funeral Mass, The Church gathers with the family and friends of the deceased to give praise and thanks to God for Christ’s victory over sin and death.” 2) “to commend the deceased to God’s tender mercy and compassion, and to seek strength in the proclamation of the Paschal Mystery.” 3) This should be a time of introspection for all of us; how ready are we to appear before the judgment throne of God? Death is inevitable for all of us. As the 16th century English poet John Donne so honestly reminds us in his poem: “For whom the bell tolls; it tolls for Thee.”
THERE WILL BE NO CONCESSION MADE OF THESE TEACHINGS. IF I DO IT FOR ONE, JUSTICE DEMANDS I DO IT FOR ALL. THEN WE ARE BACK TO THE SAME POSITION OF ACCEPTING ABUSE OF THE MOST HOLY SACRIFICE OF THE MASS.