Funeral Liturgy : Office of the Dead, 'wake service', etc. Help from "The Rubrics Police"
  • SalieriSalieri
    Posts: 3,177
    Some background : A friend of mine at the parish has asked me to be in charge of the music at her funeral - similar to what Jeffrey Tucker was asked to do, c.f. recent articles in The Wanderer - and has requested that her funeral Mass be in Gregorian Chant (Introit, Gradual, etc.), no problem there, but she also wants to be waked in the church, not the funeral parlour. This was done, with great schmalziness, at a neighbouring parish for someone else (On Eagle's Wings, etc.), needless to say, this is not what she wants.

    The Question(s) : is it permissible to simply sing Vespers of the Dead in lieu of the common wake service, the night before, singing the chants for greeting the Body from the Graduale Romanum when the corpse is borne in, or should the wake service be used and then Vespers sung? Would Lauds in the morning be appropriate when people would normally go to the funeral home? I presume that the funeral Mass itself would include the Kyrie, since the body is already in the church? Are there any official instructions about this? Has this occurred anywhere, and would anyone have practical tips?

    Any help would be appreciated.
  • aldrich
    Posts: 230
    In our place, when the defunct is waked, the Novena to the Dead preceded by the Passion Rosary is recited in the evening, and the wake then continues until morning of the next day (for 9 days or for how long the dead is not yet buried). But this is the Philippines.

    How many days would she be waked in the church. The Rubrics of the Rituale Romanum pertaining to the Office of the Dead say: "Dicitur in Choro in die dispositionis et aliis diebus pro temporis opportunitate et ecclesiarum consuetudine. In die vero dispositionis, in die post acceptum mortis nuntium, et tertio, et septimo, trigesimo, et anniversario […]"

    "It [the Office of the Dead] is said in choir on the day of the arrangement and on other days according to the circumstance of time and to the custom of the church. On the day, however, of the arrangement, on the day after the receipt of the announcement of death, and on the third, and on the seventh, and on the thirtieth, and on the anniversary [what follows is the description on how the psalms are recited]."

    From sanctamissa: "Every priest has the full Office for the Dead in his breviary, and for that reason, and also because the Office is practically never said at funerals in the U.S., only Vespers is given here, along with appropriate readings from Sacred Scripture and some prayers for the faithful departed. As all of these are eminently suited for a wake, a priest may want to use them at least one night, particularly the night before the funeral; or he may read the scriptural parts after the rosary service. The psalms appointed for Vespers are in general festive and joyous, thus sounding the note of Christian faith, hope, and confidence that characterizes the Church’s attitude toward death. A musical setting for the antiphons, psalms, and the Magnificat is provided in the music supplement."
  • Andrew Motyka
    Posts: 946
    So far as I know, you can use Vespers at the wake service all you like (in the OF; I'm not sure about the EF full funeral rite).

    However, the one thing I thing you cannot do is replace the "wake service" from the Order of Christian Funerals with Vespers. The Vigil for the Deceased is a part of the Funeral liturgy, and I don't think Vespers can be substituted for it.

    I'm not sure on the legislation, but just from a logical liturgical perspective I would lean toward having Vespers first, and then the Vigil of the Deceased. The Funeral Mass is the second part of the Order of Christian Funerals, and logically follows from the Vigil. It seems odd (to me at least) to break between the two for Vespers.
  • fatherodonnell
    Posts: 12
    The General Introduction to the Order of Christian Funerals, ¶ 45, says that the vigil may take the form of a liturgy of the word (the usual "wake service" in the new rite) or some part of the office of the dead. So doing vespers alone is perfectly permissible. If in the church, the rubrics say it begins with the reception of the body.

    In general, there is practically nothing mandatory in the US Order of Christian Funerals. It is a grab-bag of options that can be freely selected for pastoral reasons.
    Thanked by 1Salieri
  • Andrew Motyka
    Posts: 946
    Well there you go citing the actual documents of the liturgy. What, my rampant emoting and speculation wasn't good enough for you?

    Ignore me and listen to Fr. O'Donnell.
    Thanked by 2DougS canadash
  • SalieriSalieri
    Posts: 3,177
    Thanks for your help : I don't have a copy of the Order of Christian Funerals, so I couldn't look up the rubrics!
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