The blessing of the Catafalque for an anniversary Requiem in Oxford (Missa Cantata). Page 20. 20 burial service refer to the ‘body’, not ashes,
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For details of the photographs in this booklet, please contact the Latin Mass Society. This booklet explains about the right of Catho- lics to request a Funeral Mass according to the Traditional Catholic liturgy: the ‚Extraordinary Form™ or Vetus Ordo, the Tra- ditional Latin Mass. If you are considering this and are not a mem- ber of the Latin Mass Society , joining us will not only show your support for our work but will also make it easier for us to give whatever help is necessary to those organising your funeral. Not only will we already know about you, and (if you tell us), about your detailed wishes, but given our finite resources we natu- rally give priority to deceased members. You can join the Latin Mass Society through our website, by phone, or by post: see our de- tails on the back cover.
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CONTENTS Introduction p5 Do you have an up-to-date Will? p5 What is a ‚Letter of Wishes™? p6 The Traditional Liturgy: What are the Options? p7 A note on liturgical options p7 1. The Mass p8 A. Low Mass p9 B. Missa Cantata p9 Missa Cantata without Incense p10 Missa Cantata with Incense p10 C. High (Solemn) Mass p11 2. Musical Options p13 A note about the organ p13 A. Gregorian Chant p14 B. Polyphony p15 3. Additional Ceremonies p17 A. The Reception of the Body p17 B. The Absolution of the Coffin after Mass p18 C. The Burial p18 A note on cremation p19 D. The Office of the Dead p21 E. Requiems on Anniversaries p21 A note on the Reception of Holy Communion p22 A note on Funerals for Infants p23 Appendix A: Further information p24 Wills and Bequests p24 Mass Stipends and other expenses p25 The Church™s law and the Extraordinary Form p26 The spirit of the ancient Mass for the Dead p29 A checklist of liturgical items p31 Appendix B: A Letter of Wishes p34
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Introduction The Latin Mass Society has produced a form called ‚A Let – ter of Wishes concerning arrangements for my funeral: Re- questing a Traditional Requiem™. This Guide is addressed to those filling out this form, and it will also be helpful to t he next of kin seeking to implement wishes for a Traditio nal Funeral, whether these wishes are written or not. Copies of the Letter of Wishes form are available from the Lat in Mass Society, and one is included at the end of this booklet. We in the Latin Mass Society will do all we can to fa cilitate the cele- bration of the traditional liturgy for the dead, in as w orthy a way as possible. Your local Representative may be able to advise on options, do the same if necessary. Being clear about what you want , and ad- vance planning, are the keys to the smooth running of everythi ng when the time comes. Do you have an up-to-date Will? When considering arrangements for your funeral, it is a good moment to think about the adequacy of your Will: do you have one, an d is it up to date with your wishes and circumstances? Leaving a clear and up-to-date Will makes things simpler for your family and friends, and ensures that your property is dist ributed in ac- cordance with your wishes. When doing this, please consider leaving the Latin Mass So ciety a be-
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quest. The Society relies on these gifts, and without th em our work would not be possible. We have included some information ab out this in the Appendix to this booklet. What is a ‚Letter of Wishes™? Also known as a ‚side letter™, a ‚Letter of Wishes™ is a statement in- tended to guide the executors of a person™s will, which does not form part of the will itself. It can be made legally binding, by incorporating ˘ˇˆ˙ ˙˝ Not being part of the Will itself, it should be possible to ensure that it is read before arrangements for the funeral begin to be made. Very o f- ten, the Will is not read until after the funeral. The use of such ‚Letters™ is widespread and your Solicito r will be fa- miliar with them. It need not be drawn up by a Solicito r, however: it just needs to be clear, and its existence, and ideally i ts contents, needs to be drawn to the attention of your next of kin, executors , and any- one with Power of Attorney , so they know what your wishes are. The other people who will need to know about your wishes a re the priest and the funeral directors , whether or not you have a pre-paid plan. It is a good idea to let them know in advance what y our wishes are, if possible.
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ceremonies. This has many advantages: priests, singers, funeral dir ectors and con- gregation can know in advance what they are getting, and t his will be something which has grown up in the Church™s liturgical tra dition and officially approved: there will be nothing inappropriate or j arring in the service. In addition, once the basic decision is m ade, to have Sung Mass, for example, there is no need for anyone to sift through volumes of liturgical texts and hymn books to make lots of decision s about what should happen, when, or by whom. A eulogy by a lay person is not allowed during a Tradition al Mass, but may be delivered in church immediately after Mass and th e blessing of the coffin, or in a gathering afterwards (the wake). A pr iest (or deacon) ˇ”˙ ˙˙ˇ takes place not after the Gospel, but at the end of Mas s (but before the blessing of the coffin). Although laity do not read the readings or prayers of Mas s, it may be appropriate to ask some to carry the coffin, as the Le tter of Wishes suggests.
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1. The Mass A. Low Mass (‚ Missa Lecta™ ) In the Extraordinary Form (the Traditional Mass) the Mass for a funeral can be celebrat- ed in a very simple way, with just a priest and a server, without music or incense. This is ‚Low Mass™, and has a spiritual depth all of its own. A Low Mass is naturally the simplest thing to organise, and also the shortest ser- vice: it will probably take between 30 and 40 minutes. B. Sung Mass (‚ Missa Cantata ™) If singers are available, Mass can be sung. With just o ne priest, and one or more servers, this is a ‚Missa Cantata™ : the priest will sing the Gospel (and probably the Epistle), and the Preface, and t he singers will sing a series of pieces specific to a Mass for the De ad. More will be said about the options for music below, which also affec t the length of the service. Missa Cantata without incense, in a small chapel in Oxfordshire, with a catafalque.
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Missa Cantata without incense Missa Cantata can be cel- ebrated without incense and without additional servers holding ˙ˆ ! this is called having ‚Low Mass ceremonies™ (or, less accurately, ‚without ceremonies™) This re- quires only one server (two servers are also possible, o r two plus a Master of Ceremonies (MC)), and for this reason can be easier to ˙ˇ˝$ ˙˙ simpler form of the ceremonies, given the likely congr egation. The ceremonies make no significant difference to the musical options. Missa Cantata with incense More commonly, Missa Cantata is celebrated with a larger number of servers, and with incense. The exact number of servers can be between ˙˙˙˙ˆˇ˙ ˙˚ to have fewer. However, that decision is usually best le ft to the Master Missa Cantata in St Birinus, Oxfordshire. While the choir sings the chants before the Gospel, the priest must wait for sedilia. This is one reason Sung Masses are longer than Low Mass.
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of Ceremonies, who can consider both the nature of th e church and the people available to serve. One advantage of a larger numbe r is that boys with limited serving experience can more easily be incorporated into the team, to perform the less complex functions. It should be noted that the ceremonies and the use of inc ense in a Mass ˙%˙˙ ˙& Mass retains its more sombre and understated character . There is noth- ˙ˆ˚˙ ˙ the Funeral Mass with which those familiar with the Extraordinary Form will probably be most familiar. C. High (‚Solemn™) Mass ( Missa Solemnis ) This is Mass celebrated by a priest assisted by a ‚deacon™ and a ‚subdeacon™ (who may themselves be priests or deacons). They will need an experienced Master of Ceremonies, and a team of servers (at least three, preferably five or more, in addition to th e MC) at least some of whom have experienced this form of the Mass be fore. High Mass is different from Missa Cantata in that the readings are sung, not from the altar by the celebrant, but from othe r parts of the sanctuary by the subdeacon (who sings the Epistle) and th e deacon (who sings the Gospel). The deacon and subdeacon wear spe cial vest- !˙ ˚ˇ˙ servers and Master of Ceremonies at a Missa Cantata . ‘˙”˙”˙ Missa Cantata is a rela- tively recent development (it began to develop in the 18 th century), to make possible a sung Mass when there were not enough cle rgy to pro- ˚ it is essentially a cut-down version of High Mass. High Mass, where the Church™s ceremonies ar e performed in full, is a very beautiful expression of the Church™s ‚law of prayer™,
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