When a loved ove passes, the family will first make contact with the local Funeral Home, once this happens, the Funeral Director will then contact the Parish Office. At that time the Bereavement Committee is notified and a visit is arranged by a member of the Committee. These members will assist the family by offering help with Liturgy planning, music selection, etc. If you have questions you are always welcome to contact Lisa at the Parish Office, who will be happy to assist in any way needed.
A Catholic funeral is a religious service held for someone of the Catholic faith who has passed away. It serves an important function for the survivors, who believe that the soul lives on after death.
That's a belief shared by all Christians, whose faith dictates that, depending on how righteous a life you lived, your soul continues on in either Heaven or Hell. However, Catholics believe in a third destination for the soul: Purgatory. Purgatory is for souls who have committed forgivable sins during their lifetime, and who may eventually end up in Heaven.
Therefore, to encourage such forgiveness, the Catholic funeral is a time to appeal to God to be merciful on the deceased person's soul. With this in mind, you should expect there to be a lot of prayers said at the Catholic funeral you will be attending. There will likely be much talk of the deceased now being with God in Heaven, as a way to comfort those who are grieving.