Funeral, Burial, or Memorial Service
|
|
Notes regarding Liturgy:
Grace uses the Book of Common Prayer for its services. The Prayer Book Service of the Burial of the Dead takes approximately 45 minutes to an hour depending on the number of communion participants and music. A sermon or homily is preached at all funerals by clergy. One brief eulogy can be a part of our funeral liturgy if families desire.
Participating Clergy
If an Episcopal priest other than Grace’s is desired to assist (or officiate), the permission and invitation of the Rector is required according to The Canon Law (Title III, Canon 21, Section 5a). The location of the funeral other than in the parish church changes nothing; non-parochial priests may only function with the permission and invitation of the Rector of the parish. Guest clergy (other than Episcopal priests and deacons) are invited from time to time to read lessons, lead prayers, and/or preach. The Book of Common Prayer, the guidelines of which each priest at their ordination has sworn to uphold, is specific about who may do what. These guidelines may not be violated in any way.
There is flexibility regarding readings. There may be as many as four: Old Testament, Psalm, Epistle, and Gospel. There is always a gospel reading. Readings from outside of scripture may be considered and used.
Flowers at the Service
In the Episcopal tradition the casket or urn instead of being covered with a blanket of flowers is covered with a pall. The pall is a vestment used to cover every casket/urn placed in the nave for the burial service. The color of the pall and all altar hangings and clergy vestments for this service are white, signifying the liturgy of the dead is an Easter liturgy.
Please note, floral sprays, decorations, and plants sent by family and friends will not be placed in the altar area. Typically, altar flowers the family has purchased remain on the altar for the next Sunday services of the church.
Receptions
A reception may be held in the parish hall. This is arranged in consultation with the hospitality committee.
Guestbook
Grace does not provide a guest book. These are typically provided by the funeral home.
Day of service and arrival at the church
Please plan to arrive at Grace at least 30 minutes before the service begins. Fifteen minutes before the service begins the clergy and those assisting will join the family for final review of things and private prayer. The family may be seated before the opening procession or join in the procession.
Grace uses the Book of Common Prayer for its services. The Prayer Book Service of the Burial of the Dead takes approximately 45 minutes to an hour depending on the number of communion participants and music. A sermon or homily is preached at all funerals by clergy. One brief eulogy can be a part of our funeral liturgy if families desire.
Participating Clergy
If an Episcopal priest other than Grace’s is desired to assist (or officiate), the permission and invitation of the Rector is required according to The Canon Law (Title III, Canon 21, Section 5a). The location of the funeral other than in the parish church changes nothing; non-parochial priests may only function with the permission and invitation of the Rector of the parish. Guest clergy (other than Episcopal priests and deacons) are invited from time to time to read lessons, lead prayers, and/or preach. The Book of Common Prayer, the guidelines of which each priest at their ordination has sworn to uphold, is specific about who may do what. These guidelines may not be violated in any way.
There is flexibility regarding readings. There may be as many as four: Old Testament, Psalm, Epistle, and Gospel. There is always a gospel reading. Readings from outside of scripture may be considered and used.
Flowers at the Service
In the Episcopal tradition the casket or urn instead of being covered with a blanket of flowers is covered with a pall. The pall is a vestment used to cover every casket/urn placed in the nave for the burial service. The color of the pall and all altar hangings and clergy vestments for this service are white, signifying the liturgy of the dead is an Easter liturgy.
Please note, floral sprays, decorations, and plants sent by family and friends will not be placed in the altar area. Typically, altar flowers the family has purchased remain on the altar for the next Sunday services of the church.
Receptions
A reception may be held in the parish hall. This is arranged in consultation with the hospitality committee.
Guestbook
Grace does not provide a guest book. These are typically provided by the funeral home.
Day of service and arrival at the church
Please plan to arrive at Grace at least 30 minutes before the service begins. Fifteen minutes before the service begins the clergy and those assisting will join the family for final review of things and private prayer. The family may be seated before the opening procession or join in the procession.
Baptism
In our Christian tradition we move amid signs, symbols, and sacraments. These help us know where we are going, what we are doing, and what is happening – and who we are and who we belong to. Each are powerful, with sacraments being the most powerful of the three.
The ceremony of baptism includes signs and symbolism. Signs have clear meaning and tell just what they signify – a stop sign tells us to stop. At the end of the baptism the baptized are given a candle as a sign of light. The clear meaning is to be the light of Christ in the world.
A symbol also has meaning but requires some knowledge to understand that it is more than what it appears. In the case of baptism oil is the symbol. Immediately following baptism, one is anointed with oil. This oil is more than it appears, it has been blessed by the bishop and stands for, symbolizes the Holy Spirit, being sealed by the Spirit – a proclamation of forever belonging to God.
The power of baptism is that it is more than a sign and more than symbol. Baptism is sacrament. According to our Book of Common Prayer in the Catechism sacraments are “outward and visible signs of inward and spiritual grace, given by Christ as sure and certain means by which we receive that grace” (BCP, p. 857). Many of us have this definition memorized.
So, what is happening in sacraments? Sacraments are things priests ‘make’ through prayer that include blessing and sanctifying the familiar things God uses to make God’s-self known, or to accomplish a miracle. The two familiar sacraments in scripture that Jesus commanded us to do are Holy Baptism and Holy Eucharist or Communion. The familiar things are water, wine, and bread.
When someone is baptized, they experience a miracle (see Romans 6:3-5, Ezekiel 36:24-28). Again, the Book of Common Prayer Catechism helps us. “In Holy Baptism God adopts us as God’s children and makes us members of Christ’s Body, the church, and inheritors of the kingdom of God.” God uses the outward visible sign of water and inwardly a miracle happens – union with God through Christ’s death and resurrection. And more – becoming a part of the body, the church, receiving the forgiveness of sins, and new life in the Holy Spirit (BCP, p. 858).
Baptism is packed with miracles. It is described as the “rite of initiation” into the church. Baptism is a beginning. A proclamation of faith before the church community witness the miracle and recall their own miracle of new birth.
Baptism has both robust theological significance as well as being a significant pastoral practice personally as people and families experience it.
Since baptism is a proclamation of faith it makes sense the those baptized would be able to make a commitment to God through their own thoughtful conviction. This infers reasonable thinking, perhaps happening to people who are older – maybe late adolescents and adults (see Matthew 28:18-20). And that is how it began historically. However, because of infant mortality rates centuries ago, infant baptism began. The church was responsive to a health crisis and adapted its practices. To this day, promises are made for infants by parents and Godparents. All the miracle with a later decision to follow God through the rite of Confirmation. Confirmation is in simplest terms the public decision to fulfill promises made on one’s behalf at infant baptism.
It is helpful to be aware of the public nature of baptism, which became explicit with the adoption the 1979 prayer book. Baptism is a sacrament that is a public rite. The church witnesses the miracle for two big reasons: to promise as a corporate body to support the newly baptized and to signify incorporation into the Body of Christ. Whenever someone is baptized it changes the person, and it changes the church. We are all connected, at union with God and one another. The baptized person experiences multifaceted miracles, and the church body experiences change and miracles as oneness grows.
We must also remind ourselves that baptism is a beginning, an initiation into the church. The promises made with the miracle which makes the Christian life possible continue all through our lives.
Baptism is a wonderful, miraculous big deal all the way around. Thank God for God’s provisions for us now and forever.
Interested in baptism for yourself or someone you love? Please contact The Rev. Dr. Lisa Corry. Any Sunday may become an opportunity for Baptism as they are days we celebrate the resurrection. Traditional baptism days are: Easter Vigil, Day of Pentecost, All Saints Day or Sunday after All Saints Day, the Feast of the Baptism of our Lord (First Sunday after the Epiphany).
To help facilitate planning, baptisms need to ideally be scheduled 5-8 weeks ahead of time. Please plan to have 45 minutes to an hour of preparation for the baptismal candidate, and if there are godparents, it would also include parents and godparents.
In our Christian tradition we move amid signs, symbols, and sacraments. These help us know where we are going, what we are doing, and what is happening – and who we are and who we belong to. Each are powerful, with sacraments being the most powerful of the three.
The ceremony of baptism includes signs and symbolism. Signs have clear meaning and tell just what they signify – a stop sign tells us to stop. At the end of the baptism the baptized are given a candle as a sign of light. The clear meaning is to be the light of Christ in the world.
A symbol also has meaning but requires some knowledge to understand that it is more than what it appears. In the case of baptism oil is the symbol. Immediately following baptism, one is anointed with oil. This oil is more than it appears, it has been blessed by the bishop and stands for, symbolizes the Holy Spirit, being sealed by the Spirit – a proclamation of forever belonging to God.
The power of baptism is that it is more than a sign and more than symbol. Baptism is sacrament. According to our Book of Common Prayer in the Catechism sacraments are “outward and visible signs of inward and spiritual grace, given by Christ as sure and certain means by which we receive that grace” (BCP, p. 857). Many of us have this definition memorized.
So, what is happening in sacraments? Sacraments are things priests ‘make’ through prayer that include blessing and sanctifying the familiar things God uses to make God’s-self known, or to accomplish a miracle. The two familiar sacraments in scripture that Jesus commanded us to do are Holy Baptism and Holy Eucharist or Communion. The familiar things are water, wine, and bread.
When someone is baptized, they experience a miracle (see Romans 6:3-5, Ezekiel 36:24-28). Again, the Book of Common Prayer Catechism helps us. “In Holy Baptism God adopts us as God’s children and makes us members of Christ’s Body, the church, and inheritors of the kingdom of God.” God uses the outward visible sign of water and inwardly a miracle happens – union with God through Christ’s death and resurrection. And more – becoming a part of the body, the church, receiving the forgiveness of sins, and new life in the Holy Spirit (BCP, p. 858).
Baptism is packed with miracles. It is described as the “rite of initiation” into the church. Baptism is a beginning. A proclamation of faith before the church community witness the miracle and recall their own miracle of new birth.
Baptism has both robust theological significance as well as being a significant pastoral practice personally as people and families experience it.
Since baptism is a proclamation of faith it makes sense the those baptized would be able to make a commitment to God through their own thoughtful conviction. This infers reasonable thinking, perhaps happening to people who are older – maybe late adolescents and adults (see Matthew 28:18-20). And that is how it began historically. However, because of infant mortality rates centuries ago, infant baptism began. The church was responsive to a health crisis and adapted its practices. To this day, promises are made for infants by parents and Godparents. All the miracle with a later decision to follow God through the rite of Confirmation. Confirmation is in simplest terms the public decision to fulfill promises made on one’s behalf at infant baptism.
It is helpful to be aware of the public nature of baptism, which became explicit with the adoption the 1979 prayer book. Baptism is a sacrament that is a public rite. The church witnesses the miracle for two big reasons: to promise as a corporate body to support the newly baptized and to signify incorporation into the Body of Christ. Whenever someone is baptized it changes the person, and it changes the church. We are all connected, at union with God and one another. The baptized person experiences multifaceted miracles, and the church body experiences change and miracles as oneness grows.
We must also remind ourselves that baptism is a beginning, an initiation into the church. The promises made with the miracle which makes the Christian life possible continue all through our lives.
Baptism is a wonderful, miraculous big deal all the way around. Thank God for God’s provisions for us now and forever.
Interested in baptism for yourself or someone you love? Please contact The Rev. Dr. Lisa Corry. Any Sunday may become an opportunity for Baptism as they are days we celebrate the resurrection. Traditional baptism days are: Easter Vigil, Day of Pentecost, All Saints Day or Sunday after All Saints Day, the Feast of the Baptism of our Lord (First Sunday after the Epiphany).
To help facilitate planning, baptisms need to ideally be scheduled 5-8 weeks ahead of time. Please plan to have 45 minutes to an hour of preparation for the baptismal candidate, and if there are godparents, it would also include parents and godparents.
|
|
