For Funeral preparation, please contact the Parish office 616-241-4477
As the time of death nears, the family should notify the church so that the Prayers for the Dying may be prayed with the person and their family. Once death has occurred, your chosen funeral home director should be notified. All arrangements are made through the funeral home director. They will contact the parish and make all arrangements for the funeral vigil, the Mass and the luncheon. The family can then make arrangements to meet with a member of the parish staff to plan the funeral liturgy. If these plans have been made in advance, they are reviewed and updated if necessary.
Most people these days pre-plan their funerals. They buy their burial plots, mausoleum crypts, or columbarium niches; select their caskets or urns; write their obituaries; and make known to their families their wishes for the celebration of their lives. But little thought is given to how they wish to have the sacred dimension of their lives honored and celebrated.
The purpose of the funeral liturgy is to express our Christian hope in the Resurrection of the body, to commend the deceased to God, and to lend comfort and support to the deceased’s family and friends. The funeral liturgy can also be a celebration of the deceased’s life of faith. When appropriate and desired a person and his family can meet with a member of the pastoral staff and plan the funeral. Prior to the time of need. The person is thus able to select hymns that nourish the soul and support our faith. They are able to select the scriptures and give other input as to how the funeral liturgy will be celebrated.