An English bishop has encouraged Catholics to hold fast to Christian faith and practice at funerals in the wake of rising numbers of “no frills” and “direct cremations”.
<a href="https://www.dioceseofshrewsbury.org/at-the-hour-of-our-death-a-pastoral-letter-from-the-bishop-of-shrewsbury-october-29-2023/"><strong><em>In a pastoral letter to the faithful of the Diocese of Shrewsbury, called "At the Hour of Our Death",</em></strong></a> Bishop Mark Davies expressed concern about the rising trend of disposing of bodies without an appropriate funeral.
The Bishop asked whether the recent secular “trivialisation of funerals” had led people to dispense with the idea of having a funeral at all.
Bishop Davies said: “In my early years as a priest, I sometimes prayed the last prayers at a graveside where no one was left to mourn.
“The funeral directors out of charity, would join me to form a congregation and respond to those prayers.”
He said: “Sadly, we are now seeing funerals being promoted commercially at which no one is to be present, and no prayer is to be offered. ‘No fuss’ funerals seem devised to prevent participation by family, friend or community.
“The recent secularisation and even trivialisation of funerals may have led people to abandon the thought of having a funeral, as they see no purpose.
“We must surely be concerned for the human impact of these developments and recognise the loss of the Christian vision of what should mark our passing from this world.
“For a Christian funeral is not the disposing of a body, but a calling together in prayer and in hope. November reminds us of this final duty of charity we owe to each other.”
Bishop Davies said: “We are called to pray for those who have died.
“In her funeral rites the Church desires to commend our souls to God’s merciful love and plead for our forgiveness just as in every Mass, we pray and intercede for all the faithful departed.
“It would be a mistake to think of a funeral merely as the celebration of a life now ended … the dead do not need our praises, but they do need our prayers.”
The bishop urged Catholics to use November – the month traditionally devoted to remembering the departed – to pray for “all who have gone before us” and to recognise the importance of Christian faith and practice in the hour of death knowing the bond between us “is not broken by death”.
In Masses offered for the souls of the departed is found “the greatest consolation of those who mourn”, said Bishop Davies, <a href="https://www.itv.com/news/granada/2023-10-27/funeral-held-for-schoolgirl-killed-in-coach-crash"><strong><em>who on Friday celebrated a requiem Mass in St Theresa’s Church, Chester, for Jessica Baker, a 15-year-old schoolgirl killed in a coach crash on the M53 on September 29.</em></strong></a>
The comments of Bishop Davies come amid reports of the soaring popularity in the UK of no-frills or “direct cremations”, in which no mourners are present.
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/aug/29/traditional-funerals-dying-out-uk-no-frills-options-rise"><em><strong>According to one survey by Co-op Funeralcare just one in 10 people say they want a traditional church funeral when they die.</strong></em></a>
The study revealed an increase in ceremonies in locations as diverse as in a zoo, on a bus, on a golf course and in a tepee, with some mourners dressed in jeans and tracksuits.
<em>(Photo © Mazur/cbcew.org.uk)</em>
