STATEMENT
National Meeting of the Diocesan Directors of Liturgy
From September 17 to 20, 2007 over 200 delegates to the 22nd NMDDL held in the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro discussed the topic “The Death and Funeral of Christians”. The meeting was made possible through the generosity of Archbishop Antonio J. Ledesma, S.J., DD, assisted by his clergy and people.
We are pleased to share the conclusions of our meeting:
- There is a need to deepen our Christian understanding of death as the completion of our paschal pilgrimage that started at baptism. However, this paschal character of death should be balanced by the Church’s ministry of compassion toward those who mourn.
- We recommend that pastors and liturgists avail themselves of the various options offered by the Order of Christian Funerals (1969). Special attention should be given to the rite for children.
- We call on the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the
- We encourage the incorporation of funeral rites within the celebration of the Eucharist as desired by Vatican II, in order to show more clearly the paschal character of Christian death.
- The Episcopal Commission on Liturgy has published “Liturgical Guidelines on Cremation”. We exhort all to observe the said guidelines, especially as regards the final disposition of the cremated remains.
- Great respect should be given to the remains of the faithful as they had been temples of the Holy Spirit. We urge that cemeteries, columbaries and ossuaries be kept with dignity and reverence.
- There should be more cooperation and collaboration among the bereaved family, the parish, and the funeral home or columbary, in order to ensure the proper handling of the funeral rites and the remains of the dead
“Christians celebrate the funeral rites to offer worship, praise, and thanksgiving to God for the gift of a life which has now been returned to God, the author of life and the hope of the just.” Likewise “the celebration of the Christian funeral brings hope and consolation to the living … the funeral rites also recall to all who take part in them, God’s mercy and judgment and meet the human need to turn always to God in times of crisis” (OCF, General Introduction, nos. 5 and 7).
