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Valerie
wrote:
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Hi, guys —
My Grandmother was Catholic but rarely attended
Sunday Mass. When she passed away this past
February, the Funeral Director advised us
that a funeral Mass was not an option nor
could a priest preside at the funeral home
for the funeral service there due to the fact
that she was not a regular attendee at Mass.
I understood this so an Anglican priest
was put in charge of the funeral service.
We were pleased with his kind and understanding
service but I have been feeling uneasy about
how my Grandmother would have felt about the
fact that he was an Anglican priest and not
a Catholic priest.
- How does this affect how her soul is going
to be saved?
I should mention that she was given her final
rights in the hospital by a Catholic priest,
although she was more or less in a coma. I
know that it is important to pray for her
soul but I can't help but feel that I have
let her down terribly.
Thank you for your time and advice.
Valerie
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How does the type of funeral service my mother had affect her soul and salvation? }
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Eric
replied:
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Valerie —
I am sorry for your unfortunate experience.
I can't vouch for whether the priest
was within his rights to do what
he did, but it certainly came across
as pastorally insensitive.
How the funeral rites were conducted
have no bearing on your grandmother's
soul, with one possible
exception: if a Catholic priest has
celebrated the funeral, he probably
would have offered the Mass for the
repose of her soul. (I am not sure whether funeral Masses,
if celebrated, are customarily offered
for the deceased or not, but presumably
they would be.)
In this situation, all you'd
need to do to rectify the situation
is to ask your local parish to offer
a Mass for your grandmother (customarily
a small stipend, probably no more
than $15, is offered for this). That's
a good idea anyway because it will
benefit her soul immensely.
Eric
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John
replied:
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Valerie —
Denying a Catholic a funeral Mass
is something that is rarely done.
Whether or not your grandmother attended
Mass regularly [would or] should have
no bearing on the subject.
If a person
has been officially excommunicated,
then I can see where a priest might
refuse, but your grandmother received
last rites which, presuming
her disposition was right, would
have put her back in right standing
with the Church. In the these cases,
the Church always gives the person
the benefit of the doubt, relying always
on God's Mercy and Grace.
This seems very strange. Were
I in your position, I'd look into
this further and perhaps contact
your local bishop and report the matter.
Now, insofar as how this affects your
grandmother's soul, always remember
that we ultimately rely on the Mercy
of God. God's Grace and Mercy can't
be limited by the errors committed
by Funeral Directors and local priests,
so I wouldn't lose any sleep
over how this affects your grandmother's
salvation.
The Funeral Mass is an after the
fact event. At that point, a soul
has either decided for or against
Christ. The Mass is more for the
family's sake although it does have
the benefit of being offered for
the soul and therefore assists the
soul in its final purification.
Nevertheless,
you can have a Mass said for her
anytime you want. You don't need
the body there.
This is done all
the time.
John
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Mary
Ann replied:
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Valerie —
A agree with what my colleague Eric
has said, but the stipend in the
US is only $5, if one has it.
Please have a Mass said for the repose
of her soul. That way you will be
doing the best possible thing for
her. The elderly are dispensed from
the obligation to attend Mass, so
the priest was wrong to deny her
services, unless she was under 65
and in good health.
Absent any particular
public forswearing of the faith,
she should have been given a Catholic
service. The Funeral Director is
not really the authority on this.
It is sad that she did not receive
a funeral Mass, but having a Mass
said for her would help her and you.
None of this affects her salvation
— that is a question of the
state of her soul in the light of
God's Mercy at the end of her life.
God bless her and you.
— Mary Ann
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Eric
replied:
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Mary Ann,
Stipends are set by the diocese.
While $5 was common some years ago,
I think in most places, it's now
$10, and I've heard of places where
it is $15.
Eric
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