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What Happens at a Committal Ceremony?

Jul 21, 2024

When we think of a funeral, what we often picture is considered to be a traditional funeral. But funerals can take many different shapes and forms. They may consist of various services with numerous guests gathered, or they may just be one brief and private ceremony for family to attend. When you’re planning a funeral, you may be asked about your plans for a committal service. But what exactly does that mean? And how can you organize one?

What is a committal service?

A committal service is a type of funeral service that takes place in a cemetery in which a decedent is committed to the earth. This ceremony, sometimes called a graveside service, may be a standalone funeral service, or it may come after a more traditional funeral service. Funeral-goers gather at the cemetery to watch their loved one be lowered into the ground, giving them a final chance to say goodbye.

What happens at a committal service?

Committal services are often short. They typically run between 15 and 30 minutes, making them a good deal quicker than more traditional funeral services. Committal services may be either public or private. If the ceremony is private, only family may be in attendance. But even if the service is public, it’s customary for most funeral-goers to stand. The seats are typically reserved for the grieving family.

Guests will arrive by way of the funeral procession if the ceremony follows a different service. If the committal service is the only service being held, guests will come at a designated time on their own, just as they would do for a more traditional funeral service. Although anyone can have a committal service, these ceremonies are often religious. Priests usually preside over these services, but certain exceptions may occur.

The priest will lead the funeral guests through prayers and readings from scripture. Following these recitations and readings, family and friends may have an opportunity to speak. Afterward, guests are invited to walk by the casket and pay their final respects. The casket will then be lowered into the ground. Once in its final resting place, funeral-goers may place a handful of dirt on top of the casket. The service ends with funeral guests offering condolences to family and friends. The committal service may be followed by a reception, which provides guests with more opportunities to pay their respects to the grieving family.

Does everyone have a committal service?

Not everyone will have a committal service. Although anyone can have a graveside service, regardless of their religious beliefs, committal services are typically associated with Christian funeral traditions, particularly in the Catholic and Orthodox sects. In fact, committal services get their name from Christianity. The term “committal service” comes from The Book of the Common Prayer, a liturgical resource used to guide Christians through a uniform way of worship. In the book, the section devoted to the Burial of the Dead reads, “We therefore commit this body to the ground, earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust; in sure and certain hope of the Resurrection to eternal life.” We commit our loved ones to the ground in a committal service.

In Catholicism, a committal service is referred to as the rite of committal. It is the last rite of the three Catholic funeral rites. The first is the vigil, which is sometimes called a wake. This rite allows guests to offer their condolences to the grieving family and ask God to give them the strength to support one another. Eulogies may be given during the vigil. Following the first rite is the rite of funeral liturgy. Catholicism does not consider funerals to be a celebration of life, but neither are they meant to be sorrowful affairs. The funeral liturgy, which is encouraged to be done during a Mass, is intended to praise and worship God and ask for God’s compassion and mercy when welcoming the decedent to the kingdom of Heaven.

The committal service concludes these rites. The rite of committal is meant to signify a communion between the Church in the physical world and the Church in Heaven. The decedent departs the world and is believed to enter eternal life alongside God.

Can you have a committal service if your loved one was cremated?

Since committal services are often religious in nature, it makes sense that these ceremonies would be guided by religious principles. And Christianity, in particular Catholicism, has had a history of confusing guidelines around cremation. But since 1963, the Vatican has allowed cremation, though it still claims that burial should be the norm.

Since that proclamation, the Vatican has further specified that, though cremation is allowed, ashes should be kept in a sacred place. This specification lines up with the rite of committal. According to the Catholic Church, cremated remains must then be buried or interred in a columbarium, which allows for the rite of committal to take place. Ideally, the Catholic Church believes that everyone should go through the Catholic funeral rites regardless of whether they are buried or cremated.

If you are not religious, however, you can still hold a graveside service if you’re cremated and want your ashes to be interred or buried. Your service may look different from a Christian committal service since it may lack the traditional prayers and scripture readings associated with these ceremonies. To plan a committal service, whether you intend to be cremated or buried, talk to your funeral director about your funeral home’s options for graveside services.

www.bisslerandsons.com

Bissler & Sons Funeral Home and Crematory has served families in Kent, Ohio, and all of Portage County since 1913. The company transitioned ownership in 2018 when Rick Bissler retired and arranged to merge his family’s funeral home with the Billow family’s funeral homes, who carry on the tradition of high quality funeral, burial, memorial and cremation services. Their privately owned and operated crematory ensures that loved ones never leave their professional care. Visit bisslerandsons.com to learn more.

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How Can We Honor Our Family Member Who Died and Keep the Holiday Celebratory?

30 Oct, 2024

There are those people in our lives who we connect with on certain holidays. When we think of Christmas, Hanukkah, or the 4th of July, this person comes to mind. It might be the cookies they baked, the blessing they said, or the fireworks show they were known for. Regardless of what they did, it is difficult to imagine the holiday without this person. Celebrating the holiday, especially for the first time, following their death can be hard. The goal is not to lose the celebratory nature of the holiday in the void created by the death of the person we loved. It is to incorporate the memory into the celebration of the holiday.

What Should Be Included in a Funeral Program?

26 Oct, 2024

There are so many aspects of putting together a funeral that it’s easy to overlook some things. But every element of funeral planning is vital for different reasons. One often-overlooked component is the funeral program.What exactly is a funeral program?And what do you find in one? What is a funeral program? Funeral programs serve the essential purposes of giving attendees information about the service and of being a tangible memento that honors the life of the decedent. These programs may be the size of one sheet of paper, a card, or a larger booklet. Most often, they are provided to funeral attendees either when they enter the room where the service will be held or placed on the seats before the guests arrive. What goes in a funeral program? Funeral programs can be as unique as the service itself, but there is a general order to what goes into these pages. Here’s what you may find in a funeral program: 1. A cover honoring the decedent The cover of a funeral program often consists of the name of the person whose life is being honored, a photo of them, and the years of their birth and death. Making a cover this way makes it clear whose service guests are attending. However, a cover may also consist of other elements that show more of the decedent’s personality. For instance, a funeral program’s cover may also have one of the decedent’s most beloved quotes, poems, prayers, or song lyrics. Just as an obituary doesn’t have to have a somber tone if the decedent was known for their humorous personality, it’s fitting to make the funeral program show off that personality. The cover is a good place to set that tone. 2. The obituary Within the pages of a funeral program, it’s customary to find the decedent’s obituary. Although you may have previously shared the obituary on your funeral home’s website, a website dedicated to obituaries, social media, local newspaper, or other locations, writing it in the funeral program helps to immortalize that spirit of your loved one. 3. Service information Because a funeral program is a memento of the service, it should include the service information. You’ll want to write the date, time, and location of where the funeral is being held. 4. Order of service As the name suggests, the order of service is the order in which the events of the service will be held. Some events may include the introduction, prayers, readings, musical performances, eulogies, additional speeches, and closing remarks. If you’re having a religious service, you may want to talk to a religious leader to ensure that your order of service fits the traditional funeral ceremony performed by that religion. For example, traditional Catholic funerals do not include a eulogy. Whether you’re holding a religious ceremony or not, you should also talk to your funeral director to make certain that you know the proper order of the service before writing the program. Alongside each element of the order of service, you should also write who is leading that portion of the service. 5. Where to find prayers, hymns, and scripture readings If you’re holding a religious service, you should include in the funeral program where to find prayers, hymns, and scripture readings. Doing so allows the guests to read and sing along when the time arrives. Especially if you’re expecting a large service, it may be hard for some guests to hear the officiant. By providing directions to where to find the readings, no guest will have to worry about missing important information. 6. Song or hymn lyrics Similarly to why you would provide where to find readings, you may want to write the lyrics to songs or hymns that you may wish the funeral-goers to sing along to. If anyone is unfamiliar with these songs or hymns, they will be grateful you provided the lyrics. Even if guests don’t sing along, these songs were chosen to be a part of the funeral for a reason. It’s meaningful for guests to be able to study those lyrics, which were important to the decedent or hold great significance. 7. Pallbearers and flower bearers While the names of the eulogists, singers, and other speakers will be included in the order of service, you may also want to share the names of the pallbearers and flower bearers in the funeral program. If you do choose to write them, you should remember to also include anyone who is an honorary pallbearer or flower bearer. 8. Additional service information If there’s a committal service or reception after the funeral, you should also share directions and information about these services. You should write when and where they will be held, as well as any additional pertinent information.