{"id":40621,"date":"2018-02-03T07:00:38","date_gmt":"2018-02-03T13:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/?p=40621"},"modified":"2018-02-14T06:37:00","modified_gmt":"2018-02-14T12:37:00","slug":"viewpoint-are-eulogies-allowed-at-funeral-masses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2018\/02\/03\/viewpoint-are-eulogies-allowed-at-funeral-masses\/","title":{"rendered":"Viewpoint:<\/em> Are Eulogies Allowed at Funeral Masses?"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Msgr. M. Francis Mannion<\/em><\/p>\n

The touchiest aspects of funeral planning are music and eulogies. In my experience, \u00a0at least half of the time one or more family members or friends want to give a eulogy after the Prayer after Communion of the Funeral Mass.<\/p>\n

The funeral planning meeting is no place to argue liturgical principles, lay down the law, and provide an outright refusal of the request for someone to give a eulogy at Mass. This creates bad feelings that can ripple through the family for years. But it can be an occasion to explain as gently as possible the principles involved and come to a solution which can keep everyone relatively happy.<\/p>\n

One can explain the difference between a homily and a eulogy. The homily, given after the Gospel by the priest or deacon, is an interpretation of the person\u2019s life by reference to the suffering, death, resurrection and ascension of Christ.<\/p>\n

First of all, the practice of eulogies at Catholic funerals is officially discouraged.\u00a0 In the General Introduction to the Order of Christian Funerals, we are told that a homily is to be given, \u201cbut there is never to be a eulogy\u201d (no.27). By a eulogy is meant an elongated narration of the human achievements and qualities of the deceased person. Certainly, homilies have to have a personal quality and the homilist has to connect the readings to the life and death of the deceased.\u00a0\u00a0 The primary emphasis is always, however on the readings and the symbols of the funeral rite-and most of all on the Cross and resurrection of Christ.<\/p>\n

There is certainly a place for the whole genre of presentations that fall under the heading of a eulogy, and this is outside the Funeral Mass, notably at the end of the funeral vigil.\u00a0 The church prescribes that before the end of the vigil, \u201ca member or a friend of the family may speak in remembrance of the deceased\u201d (no.80). Also when the vigil is completed, there is, in my opinion, a place for additional talks.\u00a0 Another obvious place for eulogies about the deceased is at the luncheon that generally follows the funeral.<\/p>\n

When I meet with families to prepare the funeral, and the question of talks by family members or friends come up, I always try to steer them toward the vigil.\u00a0 This often works.\u00a0 If they persist in saying something at the Funeral Mass, then I ask that only one person speak, that the talk be kept to five minutes or less, and that the content be reverent and appropriate (no jokes, no narration of unseemly episodes in the person\u2019s life, etc).\u00a0 This is sometimes a tricky negotiation; the last thing a pastor wants to do is upset the family on the occasion of a funeral.<\/p>\n

No diocese in the U.S. that I know of has banned eulogies at the end of Funeral Masses, but I am aware that some in Ireland and Australia have.\u00a0 As things presently stand in the U.S., judgment seems to be left to the pastor.<\/p>\n

Msgr. Mannion is pastor emeritus of St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Salt Lake City.\u00a0<\/em>Reprinted by permission of Catholic News Agency.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The funeral planning meeting is no place to argue liturgical principles, lay down the law, and provide an outright refusal of the request for someone to give a eulogy at Mass. This creates bad feelings that can ripple through the family for years. But it can be an occasion to explain as gently as possible the principles involved and come to a solution which can keep everyone relatively happy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":78,"featured_media":40622,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3118,275,3125],"tags":[2680,2556],"class_list":["post-40621","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ars-celebrandi-new-ws","category-funeralsburial","category-viewpoint","tag-funeral","tag-viewpoint"],"yoast_head":"\nViewpoint: Are Eulogies Allowed at Funeral Masses? - Home<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2018\/02\/03\/viewpoint-are-eulogies-allowed-at-funeral-masses\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Viewpoint: Are Eulogies Allowed at Funeral Masses? - Home\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The funeral planning meeting is no place to argue liturgical principles, lay down the law, and provide an outright refusal of the request for someone to give a eulogy at Mass. 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