Of What Do We Sing?

How Can
Funeral Music
Express and
Deepen Faith?
_______________________________

Mass of Resurrection:
Celebrating the Catholic Funeral Rite

Perhaps more than any other Sacramental Experience, the planning of a Funeral for a loved one can provide us with an opportunity to both assess, and express, what is at the core of our identity as believers.

 More than just the commendation of our loved one to their eternal rest, the Funeral Rites celebrate the sacramental and communal foundation of our relationship with our loving God. We speak of our connection to the particular loved one who has entered eternal life, but we celebrate as well the entire Communion of Saints, all those whose lives on earth are now richly fulfilled in their unity with the Creator.

Our statement is a witness to those countless believers throughout time and throughout the world, one with us in spirit, connected to us in the Body of Christ, who affirm our faith and who in turn promise their commitment to support us on our journey.

With this in mind, it's natural that the music chosen celebrate this uniquely personal, yet fundamentally communal and Sacramental experience. The following outline offers suggestions for a blend of contemporary and traditional music reflecting this sacramental, personal and communal experience.

The simplicity or complexity of the musical accompaniment/ instrumentation  is, of course, up to the family The parish has an assortment of musicians who can be engaged to facilitate the music and the prayer of all who come to celebrate the joy of this day using everything from keyboard and guitar to horns, woodwinds and percussion. It is ideal when the very pastoral musicians who minister at the parish and who are known to the congregation are called on to provide musical leadership and accompaniment for this event which is not only a “family and friends” experience, but a parish community celebration of Resurrection as well.

Prelude       
Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring      Bach                    Instrumental
Ode to Joy                               Beethoven           Instrumental
Song of Peace                          Sibelius               Instrumental
Simple Gifts                             Shaker Tune         Instrumental
                                                               
Gathering                           
Gather Us In                           Song of the Body of Christ               
Sing A New Church                 Womb of Life                              
We Gather Together               Hosea              
All Are Welcome                      Be Not Afraid                                              
We Are God's People               What Is This Place?      
For the Beauty of the Earth                      
Love Divine, All Loves Excelling                     
All Creatures of Our God and King              

Responsorial Psalm          

Psalm 23 (My Shepherd Is The Lord)        Psalm 23 (Shepherd Me, O God)
Psalm 25 (To You O Lord I Lift My Soul)   Psalm 27 (The Lord Is My Light)
Psalm 33  (The Earth Is Full)                    Psalm 34 (Taste and See)  
Psalm 42 (Restless Is the Heart)              Psalm 63 (Your Love Is Finer than Life)
Psalm 91 (Be With Me, Lord)                  Psalm 103 (Lord Is Kind)  
Psalm 128 (Blest Are Those)                   Psalm 130 (With God Is Mercy)               

Alleluia                    
Mass of Creation              Celtic Alleluia                       Easter Alleluia
Hughes                             Gregorian                              Mass of Light      

Preparation of the
Eucharistic Gifts         

I Have Loved  You             Shelter Me, O God        Ubl Caritas  
We Walk by Faith              Amazing Grace             The Living God
Simple Gifts                      You Are Mine                God Beyond All Names
You Are Near                    Blest Are They              Eye Has Not Seen
Like A Child Rests            No Greater Love            Hosea
The Lord Is My Light        Sprit Seeking Light        Daylight Fades         
The Lord Is My Light         We have Been Told       O Filii et Filiae
I Want to Walk As a Child of the Light     The King of Love My Shepherd Is
On Eagle’s Wings Here I Am, Lord             Where Charity and Love Prevail 
Now the Green Blade Rises                       Wake, O Wake, Sleep No Longer
Balm in Gilead                                            May We Praise You, O Lord


Eucharistic
Acclamations                     
Mass of Light                       Mass of Creation                   Heritage Mass
Community Mass                  Gregorian                              Mass of Hope

Communion                        

One Bread, One Body        Eat This  Bread           Taste and See      
Take and Eat                     Ubi Caritas                  I Am the Bread of Life      
Restless Is the Heart          Now We Remain         We Walk by Faith              
Hold Me In Life                  Shepherd of Souls       My Shepherd Lord
Jesus, Remember Me        Confitemini Domino    Nada Te Turbe 
Healer of Our Every Ill         In Every Age              We Will Rise Again
You Satisfy the Hungry Heart                        Precious Lord, Take My hand           
Unless A Grain of Wheat    

Post Communion
Reflective Pieces               
Ave Verum Corpus             Adoro Te Devote
Panis Angelicus                  I Received the Living God
Ave Maria

Final Commendation       
Song of Farewell                  In Paradisium
Come to Their Aid, O Saints of God (O Waly Waly/Old 100th)

Recessional                         

I Heard the Voice of Jesus             City of God          
Holy God, We Praise Thy Name      Be Not Afraid
The Strife Is O’er                           We Are Called       
For All the Saints                            Water Music (Handel)
What Wondrous Love Is This?         For the Beauty of the Earth
How Can I Keep From Singing?        Ye Watchers and Ye Holy Ones      
Sing With All the Saints in Glory     We Will Rise Again 
Though the Mountains May Fall      All Creatures of Our God and King
Shall We Gather at the River          I Sing the Mighty Power of God
Sing A New Song to the Lord         In Christ There Is No East or West
Lord of All Hopefulness  

Secular Songs with a Spiritual Message                         

In the Arms of the Angels (Sarah Mclaughlin)
You raise me Up (Josh Groban)
The Prayer (Andrea Bocelli/Celine Dion)

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