Rev. Michael J. Goyette, Pastor
49 West North Street
Clayton, New Jersey 08312-1114
Main: (856) 881-9155 Fax: (856) 881-9166
"To bear witness to God the Father, follow the teachings of Jesus Christ,
and be guided by the Holy Spirit."
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For home-bound individuals we
live-stream Mass on Sundays at
10 am.
Choose Music for a Funeral
As you prepare for the Funeral Mass of your loved one, our parish offers a selection of sacred hymns for you to choose from. May these songs bring comfort and peace during this difficult time, knowing that our community surrounds you with prayers and support.
Q: Are we allowed to include secular songs into the liturgy because they held special significance for the deceased?
A: The introduction to the Order of Christian Funerals devotes four paragraphs to the question of Music in the Funeral liturgy (numbers 30-34). Number 30 is particularly relevant to your question.
"Music is integral to the Funeral rites. It allows the community to express convictions and feelings that word alone may fail to convey. It has the power to console and uplift the mourners and to strengthen the unity of the assembly in faith and love. The texts of the songs chosen for a particular celebration should express the paschal mystery of the Lord's suffering, death, and triumph over death and should be related to the readings from Scripture."
Thus, while Funeral music may express "convictions and feelings," its subject must always be the paschal mystery and it must be related to the readings from Scripture.
Rather than adopting popular secular songs which are inappropriate to a liturgical setting, we should seek out good liturgical music on a paschal theme which can "support, console, and uplift participants and help to create in them a spirit of hope in Christ's victory over death and in the Christian's share in that victory." (Order of Christian Funerals, number 31),
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Click here to visit the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) website for more information.
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Please download and fill out the Music Selection Form for your loved one's service. You can listen to the available sacred songs below to choose the hymns you'd like for the Funeral Mass.