Funerals
St, Andrew’s Funeral Policy
CONCERNING THE SERVICE
The death of a member of the Church should be reported as soon as possible to the priest of the congregation. If death is imminent, it is always appropriate to call the priest and have him or her present. Please see Page 490 of The Book of Common Prayer.
St. Andrew’s also provides funeral services for non-members where for various reasons the family of the deceased wishes the person to have an Episcopal service. Those arrangements should be made with the Rector of the Parish.
All Burial Mass/Memorial Service/Funeral arrangements should be made in consultation with the Rector. The conduct of the service is the responsibility of the Rector of the parish. If the family of the deceased desires the participation of a minister who is not on the staff at St. Andrew’s, they should first contact the Rector and discuss that matter with him or her fully.
Baptized Christians are properly buried from the church rather than a Funeral Home. The service should be held at a time when the congregation can be present, giving due consideration to day of the week, normal work hours, holidays and Holy Days.
The guiding rule for planning a Burial Mass is that it is first and foremost a worship service praising God and giving thanks for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The casket is to be closed before the service, and it remains closed thereafter. In the case of cremation, the cremated remains may be brought to the church in an urn on the day of the service. St, Andrew’s has a pall (covering cloth) for caskets and urns. The Altar Guild will prepare the pall and cover the casket or urn when it arrives at the church.
Any visitation with an open casket would take place at the Funeral Home. The casket is closed prior to arrival at the church and remains closed at the church.
The Committal (interment or the burial) generally takes place immediately following the Mass itself. Cremated remains may be committed in St. Andrew’s Columbarium. Arrangements for inurnment in the Columbarium can be made with the Rector. There is a fee of $1000 for a Columbarium niche (space).
Date of the Burial Mass
The family of the deceased arranges a date for the service with the Rector. Sometimes the Funeral Director makes the initial contact to ask about availability of the Rector and church. Contact from the Funeral Director is followed by a conversation with the Rector.
Burial Mass Bulletin
The Church will prepare a bulletin for the Burial Mass, similar in content and design to the regular Sunday worship service bulletin. The family of the deceased is responsible for providing information requested, such as full name of the deceased, birth and death dates, and any other information requested by the Rector or staff. A Funeral Preparation Form is to be completed by the family of the deceased. The Rector can assist in completing this form and offer suggestions for service elements. Some parish members have Burial Service plans on file at St. Andrew’s. When a pre-plan is available, that is used in planning the Mass. No obituary information will appear in the bulletin.
Music
The church Music Director/Organist will play for the Burial Mass unless other arrangements are made with the Rector and Music Director. The Rector is the final authority in the administration of matters pertaining to music. Secular music may not be used. This includes love songs, show tunes, popular music, music composed for secular occasions, and music composed by friends or relatives. (Such music may of course be played at any reception following the Burial Mass.) The Music Director or the Rector will advise you as to the music suitable to a Burial Mass and the appropriate places in the service for music.
Music Director’s Fee: It is expected that the Music Director be offered an honorarium for his/her time to prepare, practice, and play for the Burial Mass. An appropriate honorarium is $150.00
Facility Fees
The church facilities are available to the active members of St. Andrew’s without charge. There are no fees for the use of the church or for the services of the priest who officiates. It is suggested that a donation be made to the Rector’s Discretionary Fund to be used for benevolent and charitable purposes.
There is a fee charged for the additional time of the sexton to clean and prepare the church and for his/her time after the funeral. This fee is $100. If there is a reception at the church following the Burial Mass, an additional $100 fee applies.
Altar Flowers
The sanctuary is the portion of the church served by the clergy and the acolytes, with the altar as the focal point. The Altar Guild is responsible for the care of this area. St. Andrew’s is a beautiful setting and flower arrangements are placed by the Altar Guild. Only live floral arrangements are permitted and no cards, or messages should be visible during the service. If the florist delivers arrangements with cards, those items will be removed and saved for the family. There are size restrictions for arrangements due to space in front of the altar and on either side of the cross at the high altar. The church office staff or Rector can advise your florist if necessary.
Floral arrangements for a burial mass are customarily left for the Sunday service. If the service falls during Lent when no flowers are used on Sundays or during Advent when greens are used, the family may wish to take the flowers home after the service.
The family needs to make arrangements to take home any plants and flowers that will not be used in the church on the following Sunday. The church is not responsible for transportation of the flowers.
Reception
The Parish Lounge or Parish Hall is available for a post-Burial Mass reception. St. Andrew’s will provide a coffee/tea/cookies reception. If a luncheon or dinner is desired, the family is asked to pay the expenses for the food and its delivery to St. Andrew’s. St. Andrew’s will provide parish volunteers, linens and tableware. The volunteers will meet the caterer, set up and serve the food and assist the Sexton in clean up. . There are local caterers which we can recommend, if so desired. You may request this Ministry by asking the Rector. The designated person for this Ministry will then contact you directly.
Notes
The service is referred to as a Burial Mass or Mass of Christian Burial because the normative service includes the celebration of Holy Eucharist. There are times when the family chooses not to include Holy Eucharist. This decision can be discussed with the Rector in the planning of the service.
If you have questions pertaining to the Burial Mass, please feel free to ask the Rector.