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Funeral frolics upset Catholics

20.01.05
By DAVID EAMES

The Catholic Church will move quickly to introduce formal guidelines for funeral services in New Zealand if funeral-goers become as unruly as some of their Australian counterparts.

Raucous music, dirty jokes and even beer bottles opened at the altar are among the indignities being performed at Catholic funerals in Australia, and church leaders there have decided to crack down.

Australian National Liturgical Commission executive officer Peter Williams said there was "a collision between the church's rites and people's expectations in memorialising someone important to them who has died".

That had resulted in instances of inappropriate behaviour at Australian Catholic funerals, including long-winded eulogies and, on one occasion, a verbal attack on the church itself.

A commission subcommittee is reviewing guidelines for funeral services and is due to report back to bishops next year.

Catholic Church communication director Lyndsay Freer said funeral services in New Zealand left "some scope" for secular contributions, "but it has to be within a framework".

"The point is it is a sacred occasion and the dignity of that occasion must be maintained."

Mrs Freer - a regular funeral singer - said she had never seen behaviour of the Australian type.

"I am sure if it did happen [in New Zealand], if there were a number of things that were happening that were inappropriate, there would be guidelines.

"If anything was outlandish or inappropriate ... in the context of a church ... it would certainly be outlawed here."

The Anglican assistant bishop of Auckland, Richard Randerson, said his church had no formal guidelines for funeral services.

"It would be up to every priest to establish what was appropriate."

Bishop Randerson, the Dean of Holy Trinity Cathedral, said that although it was important a funeral did not degenerate into "some sort of a farewell party" for the deceased, there was nowadays a greater diversity in what was said and the type of music played.

"I think the only guideline we exercise here at the cathedral is that any element of a service ... should be seemly and appropriate to a cathedral setting."

Manukau Baptist minister Grahame Craggs said there was always "an element of risk" that funeral-goers would act or speak inappropriately.

"The risk is, perhaps, that people have had a few too many before they turn up, and say something inappropriate, but I have never had it happen to me in 15 years."

Eulogies are the problem. They imply that the dead, not God, is the focus of why we are there. They should be left for other times similar to wedding reception toasts (or roasts).

Joe

Umm... I may be a bit simple-minded, but wouldn't teaching people about the church's rites help in shaping people's expactations? The clergy have the pulpit at their disposal at every Mass. There is also the meeting with the family of the bereaved to make arrangements for the day. If there are a number of people in attendance who are separated from the Church a brief announcement can be made prior to the service about what they can expect.

It would be too much to hope that 'secular contributions' refers to laity taking part: congregational singing and/or family member(s) acting as readers. Otherwise, there should be NO place for such in the service or in the church itself. Let such things happen at wakes and other moments outside of the church and it's rites.

I'll stop now, before I start to rant.


Σώσον, Κύριε, καί διαφύλαξον η�άς από τών Βασιλιάνικων τάξεων!

I literally laughed out loud when I read the article. "Decided to crackdown?" I take this to mean they let this go on for some time with no reprimands given, no guidelines set. What'd they do, just sit back and watch until they decided they'd had enough? IS THIS WHAT EPISCOPAL LEADERSHIP SHOULD BE LIKE??? Why weren't there guidelines in the first place for these "funeral services" (as opposed, I guess, to Requiem Masses which every Catholic should have, in my opinion).

The whole thing is so pathetic it's saddening, nay, disturbing.

Logos Teen

Latin Rite funerals have gotten less and less serious over time. Some I have attended have been mini-canonizations for the deceased complete with insipid, "feel-good" sermons. I have half expected to see chorus girls prancing down the aisle chanting, "he's dead, tra la, he's dead, tra la..." I'm with Garrett, the only reason there is a problem is because the bishops let it get out of hand in the first place.

Having been to both Latin and Eastern funerals, notably Ukrainian Orthodox funerals I can say there is a huge difference. When my great-aunt died last year the Orthodox priest spoke at the funeral home and said how it was wrong to give eulogies and then he said a few things about her personality like how she never said anything bad about anyone but there were no "eulogies." The respect for God and the hope and wanting for her safe and fast entrance into Heaven was the focus, not to mention at the Eastern Funerals I've been to they always explain things. Like how the priest never stops praying and we always have to stay with the casket until it is lowered into the ground. Some of my paternal grandmother's family is Ukrainian Orthodox and some are Ukrainian Catholic. The Orthodox priest said his Liturgy is the same as our Liturgy except they are not in union with the Pope.

I have heard Orthodox eulogies by family members in the Church (which is very RARELY allowed), in the funeral home (where the priest will always say a few words), and in one case, where the deceased was a victim of 9/11 at the Twin Towers, by friends and family during his memorial service in the Church...as there was no body yet for a funeral.

In all honesty, in my experience, most people just go with the standard practice of Orthodoxy which does not include eulogizing, but as is the case with most insertions of Western practice into any service, it seems to depend on the particular priest.

In Christ,
Alice

P.S. When a Catholic funeral is televised, such as that of Jacqueline Kennedy, it is always so beautiful in its theology, touching in its God based sermons, and tasteful. With that kind of Roman Catholicism etched in my mind, I am always shocked to hear about the numerous anomalies which are allowed.

Couldn't the 'frolics' mentioned in the above article, take place at the wake? I have always heard about Irish wakes being fun, for instance. (Is that true Neil?)

Do the Aussies even have wakes? The Jews don't and the Greeks in Greece don't.

In Christ,
Alice