The death of a loved-one is always traumatic. It is completely normal to have a range of emotions in the immediate aftermath of the death of someone close to us. At St George’s, we want to help care for those who have suffered a loss. Part of that care is assisting with the planning of funerals and memorial services.

The practical steps involved in planning a Funeral involve working with the parish priest and with the funeral home of your choice. You have options available to you:

• A Funeral service involves the presence of the body of the deceased person in a coffin in Church. Holy Communion can be offered if you wish at the service. This can be followed immediately or a little later with a cremation or burial at which the priest can preside.

• A Memorial service may have the ashes present in an urn in the Church. Holy Communion can be included in this service also if desired.

• A Crematorium service is held at a chapel at a crematorium or funeral home. Your parish priest can officiate here also.

It is often better to do funeral planning well in advance of someone’s death, if possible. We all would like funeral services to reflect the wishes and desires of the person who has died, and to be fitting tributes to someone whom we have known and loved. To that end, an awareness of favorite bible passages, music, hymns and prayers can help create a unique and dignified service. It can be helpful to have suitable people give brief reflections or eulogies at services. It is normally better for close family not to perform this task due to the many emotions present during such a service. Our job at St George’s is to help the bereaved at this time of loss, and planning a suitable service is an important part of helping cope with bereavement.

Costs: