Sanctuary
Photo by C. Weeks (own work)
Planning a Funeral at Holy Spirit Church
“At the death of a Christian, whose life of faith was begun in the waters of Baptism
and strengthened at the Eucharistic table, the Church intercedes on behalf of the deceased because of its confident belief that death is not the end, nor does it break the bonds forged in life. The Church also ministers to the sorrowing and consoles them in the funeral rites with the comforting Word of God and the Sacrament of the Eucharist.”Order of Christian Funerals, no. 4
Making Arrangements,
Step-by-Step
After the death of your loved one, your first step in planning a Funeral is to call Catholic Funeral and Cemetery Services of the Oakland Diocese or the mortuary of your choosing, preferably one familiar with our Church. During your meeting with the Mortuary, they will contact our Parish Office to arrange the day and time of the Funeral “Mass of the Resurrection” for your loved one.
Once the date has been selected, the deacon who will preside at the vigil will contact you to discuss the vigil service. A member of the Stephen Ministry will also contact you to answer any questions you may have about the funeral Mass and help you select the readings and finalize all the Mass details.
If you like, you can choose the readings ahead of time from the scriptures available on our website: First Reading, Second Reading, and General Intercessions. Then simply enter the Scripture verse and code on the Funeral Mass Work Sheet and email this completed form to the Stephen Minister. The Scripture verse and code can be found below the large title on the scripture page, e.g., WISDOM 3:1-9 (C3). If you wish, the Stephen Minister will be happy to select the readings for you.
Once the details have been decided, ask your family and friends to read the scriptures at the vigil and Mass. Readers should be assigned one of the readings you chose, i.e., First Reading, Second Reading, and General Intercessions. On the bottom of each reading page are links to print out the reading. Give a copy of the reading to the readers to review before the Mass. Readers should arrive at least 15 minutes before the Mass in order to go through a quick practice session.
You can also ask two or three family members or friends to bring up the bread and wine at the offertory. They will be eager to support you and to honor your loved one and this is a good way for them to do so. If for any reason you and your family are not able to participate in this way at the service, the Stephen Ministry will be happy to provide readers for you and bring up the gifts at the offertory.
Contact our Music Director to discuss what liturgical music is available. He and the cantor/soloist will try to accommodate your preferences for whatever favorite hymns or music you have in mind.
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Easels are available to place a portrait or picture of your loved one near the sanctuary during the Mass or memorial service.
When “cremation remains” are brought into the Church, a table will be made available to place the Urn during the Mass. We also have a hand-carved, wooden ossuary to hold the cremains, if you prefer.
Many families prepare a program for their guests to follow the order of the Mass or memorial service. It is entirely up to you whether you wish to provide a program at the funeral.
The Stephen Ministry can assist in creating this program and handing it out to your guests. Let us know if you need our assistance.
Due to an overwhelming request from families to livestream the sacramental services to family and friends who are unable to attend in person, the parish has put together an A/V team for this purpose. It is possible to livestream the service to those who cannot attend. You may either hire the services of the A/V team or you may designate a family member to livestream on your private social media account. If you choose to hire the A/V team, they will create a dedicated link for this funeral service on a specially created YouTube channel which you may share with your family and friends. Please contact Peter Scampavia if you’d like to take advantage of this service:
Peter Scampavia, Facilities Coordinator
Cell : 510-571-1665
Email : peter [at] holyspiritfremont.org
To rent facilities for a reception after the funeral Mass or memorial service, contact the Holy Spirit Facility Facilities Coordinator, Peter Scampavia, at holyspiritfremont.org/facility-rentals/