Planning a Funeral
Funeral planning typically takes place during a meeting between the priest or deacon who will be presiding over the funeral rites and family members of the deceased. If a funeral home is involved, they will assist the family in arranging this meeting. If a funeral home is not involved, the family should contact the parish offices by calling (215) 739-3500 to schedule a meeting to make the necessary arrangements.
Please choose one reading from the Old Testament and one reading from the New Testament
PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL (Petitions/Intercessions) are at the bottom of this page.
OLD TESTAMENT READINGS
Reading #1.
FIRST READING
A Reading from the book of Job
Job answered and said:
Oh, would that my words were written down!
Would that they were inscribed in a record:
That with an iron chisel and with lead
they were cut in the rock forever!
But as for me, I know that my Vindicator lives,
and that he will at last stand forth upon the dust;
Whom I myself shall see:
my own eyes, not another’s, shall behold him,
And from my flesh I shall see God;
my innermost being is consumed with longing.
The Word of the Lord.
OLD TESTAMENT
Reading #2.
FIRST READING
A Reading from the book of Wisdom
The souls of the just are in the hand of God,
and no torment shall touch them.
They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead;
and their passing away was thought an affliction
and their going forth from us, utter destruction.
But they are in peace.
For if before men, indeed, they punished,
yet is their hope full of immortality;
Chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed,
because God tried them
and found them worthy of himself.
As gold in the furnace, he proved them,
and as sacrificial offerings he took them to himself.
Those who trust in him shall understand truth,
and the faithful shall abide with him in love:
Because grace and mercy are with his holy ones,
and his care is with his elect.
The Word of the Lord.
OLD TESTAMENT
Reading #3.
FIRST READING
A reading from the book of Wisdom
The just man, though he die early, shall be at rest.
For the age that is honorable comes not with the passing of time,
nor can it be measured in terms of years.
Rather, understanding is the hoary crown for men,
and an unsullied life, the attainment of old age.
He who pleased God was loved;
he who lived among sinners was transported-
Snatched away, lest wickedness pervert his mind
or deceit beguile his soul;
For the witchery of paltry things obscures what is right
and the whirl of desire transforms the innocent mind.
Having become perfect in a short while, he reached the fullness of
a long career;
for his soul was pleasing to the Lord.
therefore he sped him out of the midst of wickedness.
But the people saw and did not understand,
nor did they take this into account.
The Word of the Lord.
OLD TESTAMENT
Reading #4.
FIRST READING
A reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah.
On this mountain the Lord of hosts
will provide for all peoples.
On this mountain he will destroy
the veil that veils all peoples,
The web that is woven over all nations;
he will destroy death forever.
The Lord God will wipe away
the tears from all faces;
The reproach of his people he will remove
from the whole earth; for the Lord has spoken.
On that day it will be said:
“Behold our God, to whom we looked to save us!
This is the Lord for whom we looked;
let us rejoice and be glad that he has saved us!”
The Word of the Lord.
OLD TESTAMENT
Reading #5.
FIRST READING
A reading from the book of Lamentations
My soul is deprived of peace,
I have forgotten what happiness is;
I tell myself my future is lost,
all that I hoped for from the Lord.
The thought of my homeless poverty
is wormwood and gall;
Remembering it over and over
leaves my soul downcast within me.
But I will call this to mind,
as my reason to have hope:
The favors of the Lord are not exhausted,
his mercies are not spent;
They are renewed each morning,
so great is his faithfulness.
My portion is the Lord, says my soul;
therefore will I hope in him.
Good is the Lord to one who waits for him,
to the soul that seeks him;
It is good to hope in silence
for the saving help of the Lord.
The Word of the Lord.
OLD TESTAMENT
Reading #6.
FIRST READING
A reading from the book of the prophet Daniel
[I, Daniel, mourned and I heard this word of the Lord:]
“At that time there shall arise
Michael, the great prince,
guardian of your people;
It shall be a time unsurpassed in distress
since nations began until that time.
At that time your people shall escape,
everyone who is found written in the book.
Many of those who sleep
in the dust of the earth shall awake;
Some shall live forever,
others shall be an everlasting horror and disgrace.
But the wise shall shine brightly
like the splendor of the firmament,
And those who lead the many to justice
shall be like the stars forever.”
The word of the Lord.
NEW TESTAMENT READINGS
Reading #1.
SECOND READING
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles
Peter proceeded to address the people in these words:
“In truth, I see that God shows no impartiality. Rather, in every
nation whoever fears him and acts uprightly is acceptable to him.
You know the word that he sent to the Israelites as he proclaimed
peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. He commissioned
us to preach to the people and testify that he is the one appointed
by God as judge of the living and the dead. To him all the
prophets bear witness, that everyone who believes in him will receive
forgiveness of sins through his name.”
The Word of the Lord.
NEW TESTAMENT
Reading #2.
SECOND READING
A reading from the letter of Paul to the Romans
Hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been
poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has
been given to us. For Christ, while we were still helpless, yet
died at the appointed time for the ungodly. Indeed, only with
difficulty does one die for a just person, though perhaps for a
good person one might even find courage to die. But God
proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ
died for us. How much more then, since we are now justified
by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath.
Indeed, if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God
through the death of his Son, how much more, once reconciled,
will we be saved by his life. Not only that, but we also boast
of God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have
now received reconciliation.
The Word of the Lord.
NEW TESTAMENT
Reading #3.
SECOND READING
A reading from the letter of Paul to the Romans
Are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus
were baptized into his death? We were indeed buried with
him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was
raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might
live in newness of life. If, then, we have died with Christ, we
believe that we shall also live with him. We know that Christ,
raised from the dead, dies no more; death no longer has power
over him.
T he Word of the Lord.
NEW TESTAMENT
Reading #4.
SECOND READING
A reading from the letter of Paul to the Romans
Those who are led by the spirit of God are children of God.
For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear,
but you received a spirit of adoption, through which we cry,
Abba, “Father!” The spirit itself bears witness with our spirit
that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs
of God and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him
so that we may also be glorified with him.
I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing
compared with the glory to be revealed for us. For creation
awaits with eager expectation the revelation of the children of
God; for creation was made subject to futility, not of its own
accord but because of the one who subjected it, in hope that
creation itself would be set free from slavery to corruption
and share in the glorious freedom of the children of God.
We know that all creation is groaning in labor pains even
until now; and not only that, but we ourselves, who have
the first fruits of the Spirit, we also groan within ourselves
as we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.
The Word of the Lord.
NEW TESTAMENT
Reading #5.
SECOND READING
A reading from the letter of Paul to the Romans
If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare
his own Son but handed him over for us all, how did he not
also give us everything else along with him? Who will bring
a charge against God’s chosen ones? It is God who acquits us.
Who will condemn? It is Christ Jesus who died, rather, was
raised, who also is at the right hand of God, who indeed
intercedes for us.
What will separate us from the love of Christ? Will anguish or
distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or
the sword? No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly
through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither
death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present
things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth,
nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the
love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The word of the Lord.
NEW TESTAMENT
Reading #6.
SECOND READING
A reading from the letter of Paul to the Romans
None of us lives for oneself, and no one dies for oneself. For if
we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord;
so then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. For this is
why Christ died and came to life, that he might be Lord of
both the dead and the living. For we shall all stand before the
judgement seat of God; for it is written:
“As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bend before me,
and every tongue shall give praise to God.”
So then each of us shall give an account of himself to God.
The Word of the Lord.
NEW TESTAMENT
Reading #7.
SECOND READING
A reading from the first letter of Paul to the Corinthians
Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those
who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a
human being, the resurrection of the dead came also through
a human being. For just as in Adam all die, so too in Christ
shall all be brought to life, but each one in proper order:
Christ the first fruits; then, at his comings, those who belong to
Christ.
The Word of the Lord.
NEW TESTAMENT
Reading #8.
SECOND READING
A reading from the first letter of Paul to the Corinthians
Behold, I tell you a mystery. We shall not all fall asleep, but
we will all be changed, in an instant, in the blink of an eye, at
the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be
raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For that which
is corruptible must clothe itself with incorruptibility, and that
which is mortal must clothe itself with immortality. And when
that which is corruptible clothes itself with incorruptibility
and that which is mortal clothes itself with immorality, then
the word that is written shall come about:
“Death is swallowed up in victory,
Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But
thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus
Christ.
The Word of the Lord.
NEW TESTAMENT
Reading #9.
SECOND READING
A reading from the letter of Paul to the Phillippians
Our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we also await a
saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will change our lowly body
to conform with his glorified body by the power that enables
him also to bring all things into subjection to himself.
The Word of the Lord.
NEW TESTAMENT
Reading #10.
SECOND READING
A reading from the first letter of Paul to the Thessalonians
We, do not want you to be unaware, brothers [and
sisters], about those who have fallen asleep, so that you
may not grieve like the rest, who have no hope. For if we
believe that Jesus died and rose, so too will God, through
Jesus, bring with him those who have fallen asleep.
Indeed, we tell you this, on the word of the Lord, that we
who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord,
will surely not precede those who have fallen asleep. For
the Lord himself with a word of command, with the voice
of an archangel and with the trumpet of God, will come
down from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up
together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the
air. Thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore,
console one another with these words.
The Word of the Lord.
NEW TESTAMENT
Reading #11.
SECOND READING
A reading from the first letter of John
See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may
be called the children of God. Yet so we are. The reason
the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we shall be has
not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is
revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.
The Word of the Lord.
NEW TESTAMENT
Reading #12.
SECOND READING
A reading from the book of Revelations
I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: Blessed are the
Dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Yes,” said the Spirit,
“let them find rest from their labors, for their works accompany
them.”
The Word of the Lord.
PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL
(Petitions/General Intercessions)
FUNERAL MASS
Celebrant:
We pray not only for light and rest for all the dead, but also for dignified and happy life for all the living.
Reader:
Please respond: Let us pray to the Lord
That we may all face death with faith and the conviction that we will see God face to face,
Let us pray to the Lord
That we who await Jesus’ coming in glory may one day be reunited with our loved ones,
Let us pray to the Lord
That God may welcome _______________ into heavenly peace and rest,
Let us pray to the Lord
That we may live our lives in Christian service so as to warrant God’s reward to the just,
Let us pray to the Lord
For all the faithful departed that they may enjoy the blessedness of eternal life and the brightness of eternal light,
Let us pray to the Lord
We may pause now to add our own intentions in silence,
(pause)
Let us pray to the Lord
Celebrant: Gracious God, hear our prayers for eternal light for the deceased. Bring our loved ones and all the departed to the fullness of salvation in the brilliance of your glory. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
All: Amen