The funeral choir at my parish sang for a funeral several weeks back and we sang "Soon and Very Soon" because it was a favorite hymn of the deceased, but it was the last song we did. So it wasn't during the Mass, it was when they were moving the casket and heading toward the cemetery.

The Old Rugged Cross is a lovely hymn but it really doesn't belong in the Mass. You could do it before the Mass or as the recessional.

As an alternate you could do "Sweet Name Which Makes the Dying Live" which was the recessional at my grandfathers funeral.

I see nothing in it that’s contrary to Catholic teaching or even questionable, save only 2 lines of the last verse, which might sound a bit presumptuous if one is in a pedantic mood

1 On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
the emblem of suffering and shame;
and I love that old cross where the dearest and best
for a world of lost sinners was slain.

Refrain:
So I'll cherish the old rugged cross,
till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
and exchange it some day for a crown.

2 O that old rugged cross, so despised by the world,
has a wondrous attraction for me;
for the dear Lamb of God left his glory above
to bear it to dark Calvary. [Refrain]

3 In that old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,
a wondrous beauty I see,
for 'twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died,
to pardon and sanctify me. [Refrain]

4 To that old rugged cross I will ever be true,
its shame and reproach gladly bear;
then he'll call me some day to my home far away,
where his glory forever I'll share. [Refrain]

The song is in praise of the Cross, and of Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf. It is certainly “of a time”, individualistic, and musically mawkish, but as devotional music, I do not think it is any more harmful than “Mother dear, O pray for me” or any of the other Victorian low-Mass things that seem to be coming back into vogue in places. Of course it is not a good replacement for any of the funeral propers, but if it’s a lost cause and there’s to be some sort of Moment Musicale with a eulogy, I’d certainly prefer this to Lady of Knock or Here am I, Lord or whatever.

then he'll call me some day to my home far away,
where his glory forever I'll share.

could be altered to read:

may he call me some day to my home far away,
and his glory forever to share.

I had never heard "The Old Rugged Cross" in a Catholic church until about 5 weeks ago. Our new pastor is very fond of it and has had us sing it twice already as the "Reflection Hymn" after Communion. Along with other copied and printed hymns, it now sits in a folder in our pews. I had hoped that it was still under copyright so we wouldn't be able to have it available in the pew, but, alas, it's public domain.

If you remain true to the Cross and bear its reproach and shame in the world for the sake of Christ, it is your arca naufrago, the ark that saves you from shipwreck, and you will surely see Him and share in his glory, and dwell in the house prepared for you in Heaven.

(Sure, you can throw it all away, reject Him, and miss Heaven. But that's not what this verse is about, not what you desire, not what He wants, not what He died for.)

"It could be so changed, but would it preserve the original intent?"

You can take that up with ... Urban VIII. Alteration of hymn texts is a longstanding practice, not a modern thing.

That's why I mentioned him....

I'm not going to do it just out of principal. They asked .s to redo the funeral list, and I did. This isn't on the list, nor does it fall under the if it's in the missal we will do it clause.

My brother died Christmas Eve and his funeral is next month. Lots of funerals have been postponed due to COVID.

Cremation is more common than inhumation in the USA. The church no longer requires funeral Masses to occur before cremation.

May I not die in a place where such practice is common place!

The remains of 56% of Americans who died were cremated in 2020 (per the Cremation Association of North America, which estimates the remains of 80% of deceased Americans will be cremated by 2040.

@Pax & @CGZ, in my area, it is not uncommon for the families of poor people to not have a funeral until they can raise the money to pay for the funeral expenses (coffin, burial spot, etc.) It is not uncommon for a funeral to occur months after death.

It is not uncommon for a funeral to occur months after death.

Whenever this occurs it makes me think of the vision of a suffering soul that Padre Pio had when he was a young priest. He saw the soul who pleaded with him to say mass for him to ease his sufferings, and Pio said that he would offer Mass the following morning for the man. The soul in purgatory shouted “Cruel!” before disappearing.

We really have whitewashed what purgatory really is, much to the detriment of the suffering souls.

"poor people" - people who live at or below 200% of the poverty level.

Which US dioceses have continued to dispense from Sunday Mass obligation?

When our diocese reinstated it, it did so so quietly that I missed it in the diocesan newspaper. It's on the diocesan website, dated February 2022, and effective the first Sunday of Lent. I have no idea how widespread it is, otherwise.
https://www.dsj.org/lifting-of-the-dispensation-of-the-sunday-obligation/

I have at least a dozen funerals booked for May and June. Some were waiting for the cemetery to open, others for nice weather for travel ect. Most are cremation, though three are full bodies stored in the parish cemetery vault. I've never seen such a backlog. I have some back to back in June.

"poor people" - people who live at or below 200% of the poverty level.

You mean about half the country under current conditions?

Funeral costs are beyond all reason so I can understand folks going with a cheaper alternative.

Memorial Masses can and should be offered in the interim; there is no need to wait for the funeral for that.