Catholic Funeral
Catholic Funeral
Harmony Funeral Care provides quality Catholic Funeral Services at reasonable prices catered to the budget of different families. Call us now to enquire more at +65 94892424.
Catholic funeral services are conducted in conjunction with the family members and Catholic Churches in Singapore. We will coordinate with the Catholic Church with regards to the timings for the en-coffining, burial and cremation service. The whole of Singapore is separated into different regions and are termed as parishes. In Singapore in particular, Catholic belong to the parish church which is determined by the residential address of the Catholic person. Hence, when a person passes away, the main church conducting the Funeral Mass for the decedent would be the decedent's parish's church. Only when the decedent's own parish's church is unable to conduct the Funeral Mass due to various reasons, then can we seek the help of other churches to assist in this important event.
Elements Of A Roman Catholic Funeral
The general elements present in a catholic funeral in Singapore are:
- Night prayer services
- Final Day Mass before cremation or burial
- Final tribute paid by laying of flowers by family and friends
*The lid of the casket can be opened upon request by family members should they want to place the deceased’s personal belongings into the casket.
Roman Catholic Afterlife Beliefs
Roman Catholics believe that there are 3 places souls go to upon death – Heaven, Hell or Purgatory. Where we end up would depend heavily on our works and faith while alive. Those who go straight to Heaven or Hell would have its ultimate destination as that. Purgatory is an intermediate cleansing phase where some must undergo before they are able to enter Heaven.
Night prayer services are carried out where family members, relatives and friends would pray for God to be merciful to the deceased. The prayers are mainly to plead for God to forgive the sins of the dearly departed so that they would enter the gates of Heaven after the process of purgatory. Prayers at this point in time are also meant to comfort and offer hope to the living. The tradition of praying for the dead stems from scripture where those alive would do good works on behalf of the souls of the deceased to atone for the deceased’s sins.
Roman Catholic Funeral Items
A pair of white candles can be seen burning brightly at a Catholic Funeral Service in Singapore. These are not merely decorative items. In fact, these candles hold a deeper meaning. They are called Easter Candles and the lighting of the candles parallels the light of the resurrected Christ. These lights symbolize the belief that Christ has conquered sin and death. Placing the candles at the altar table in front of the coffin reminds friends and relatives that the dearly departed shares in the victorious win Christ has over death, darkness and sin.
A small bottle of Holy Water is usually placed in front at the altar table. The Holy Water, used for the baptism ceremony in Singapore that rendered us sons and daughters of God is the very same element used to sprinkle over the dearly departed. This is done to remind friends and relatives of the grace and hope that Catholics have in Christ Jesus.
Usually Roman Catholics have a strong inclination to use the image of Jesus Christ which holds the Divine Mercymessage as the backdrop for Catholic Funerals in Singapore.
It is also common to see cross blankets being placed either on top of the decedent or on top of the coffin for a Roman Catholic funeral in Singapore.
Roman Catholic Funeral Mass
The Catholic Funeral Mass occurs on the final day of the wake service, just before heading over to the crematorium or burial ground. Four key persons would volunteer, usually family members, to help out on the final day Catholic Mass. Firstly, a pall is placed on top of the coffin by the four people chosen. The pall symbolizes the white gown given to Catholics during Baptism and reminds Catholics of their lives in Christ. One volunteer would then proceed to place a Holy Bible on top of the coffin. Finally, the crucifix is placed on top of the coffin. The Holy Bible and Crucifix are symbols of the Catholic faith and serves once again to remind us of Christ's victory over death. These are all done at the start of the Catholic Mass in Singapore.
Holy Communion is usually partaken during a Catholic Funeral Mass in Singapore and incense is used during the final commendation at the Catholic Incense is a sign of prayers for the deceased being lifted to the Lord and a sign of farewell as well.
The final part of the Catholic Funeral Mass involves the use of incense. The smoke from the incense is traditionally used to signify the ascension of the decedent's soul into Heaven.
Singapore Roman Catholic Funeral Attire
There is no fixed rule as to what bereaved family members should wear at a Catholic Funeral in Singapore. However, a ruel of thumb is to wear dark colored clothes as a funeral is afterall still a solemn event.
Singapore Roman Catholic Funeral Costs
A full fledged Roman Catholic funeral at a void deck for 3 days is $4,000 plus. Please call us now to customise a funeral package within your budget. We will do our best to assist you.
Catholic Funeral Minister
For family members who might not have a Priest or Funeral Minister to conduct the funeral service, feel free to let us know and we will do our best to engage the volunteer services of the churches.
We have a Catholic Funeral Minister on board with us and he believes strongly in helping people with this last journey.
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