The death of one of our brothers or sisters in Christ is a significant event for us as the Church. It is a time when we join the family of the deceased in mourning their loss. It is a time when we as the Church celebrate God’s gift of life and mark, with special rites and gatherings, the return of that life to our loving God. It is a time when the Church earnestly seeks to minister not only to the deceased but to the living as well.

Since the beginning of the Church, these special liturgical rites have accompanied the burial of the dead. They express the faith both of the deceased and of the Christian community entrusted with the responsibility of burying reverently her members who have died. The rites of the Order of Christian Funerals are rites of the living. It is how the Church walks with those who mourn. The common celebration of the rites surrounding death takes the form of three liturgical celebrations. The Vigil for the Deceased usually takes place the day or evening before the funeral liturgy and is commonly refer to as a wake or visitation. The
funeral liturgy, either with or without a Mass, is typically celebrated in the parish church. The final station of the Order of Christian Funerals is the Rite of Committal which usually takes place at the cemetery.

Arranging a Catholic Funeral

Once you have chosen a funeral home please have the funeral home contact our parish office at 304-233-4121. We will work with them and you to coordinate a date, priest, and time for a funeral liturgy.

The Cathedral of St. Joseph will typically be available for a funeral Mass on Monday through Saturday, with the exception of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. The Cathedral will make every effort to set a funeral time that is convenient for the family. The preferred time for a funeral Mass is in the morning, reflecting the theme of resurrection. During the week, the latest we can schedule a morning funeral Mass is 10:00 a.m. due to our weekday Mass schedule.

For more information, please see our Funeral Planning Guide below:

“In him the hope of blessed resurrection has dawned,
that those saddened by the certainty of dying
might be consoled by the promise of immortality to come.
Indeed for your faithful, Lord, life is changed not ended,
and, when this earthly dwelling turns to dust,
an eternal dwelling is made ready for them in heaven.”
– The Roman Missal