Funerals and Funeral Planning

Planning the Funeral – What to Think About

• Who will help place the white cloth on the casket (if there is one) and remove it afterwards? (It can be more than one person.)
• An Old Testament Reading, and who will read it?
• A New Testament Reading, and who will read it?
• A Gospel Reading (read by the presider)
• Prayers of the Faithful – if possible, write your own. Who will read them?
• If it is a Mass, who will bring forward the bread and wine?
• Who will assist with Communion?
• Do you want anyone from the family to share a brief memory (3-4 minutes)? If yes, who?
• What are your favorite memories/stories (discuss these with the presider)?
• Any special music requests?
• Do you want to show a slideshow of pictures? (DVD or flash drive is acceptable.) Many funeral homes will compile a DVD for you, make sure you ask if this service is available.
• Other special requests?

Photos

Please provide a photo of your loved one. We will use this during the funeral and at the next All Soul’s Day service when we pray for and remember those in our parish who have died. Please call the Parish Office for submission information.

We can project a digital display of photos at the visitation. Several funeral homes will create this for you. If you make your own slide show (on DVD or flash drive), please bring it a day or two prior to the visitation so that we can make sure it is compatible with our system. No need to do this if the funeral home creates the presentation.

Easels are available for traditional picture boards, and we have tables for mementos as well.

Fees

If you are working with a funeral home, the fee you pay to them will include the fees for Our Lady of Lourdes. They are the following:

• Presider-$125
• Vigil Service-$50
• Musician-$150
• Cantor-$50
• Facility for parishioner-$0
• Facility for parishioner-$150
• Reception Hall-$75

Scripture Readings

While meeting with you and hearing the stories of your loved one, the presider of the funeral will suggest Scripture readings that would be appropriate. If you have readings in mind that you would like to use for the funeral, please let us know.

• Old Testament Reading
• New Testament Reading
• Gospel Reading

Eulogy

The eulogy takes place shortly before the funeral begins and is an opportunity to share praise for the one who has died. The tone is positive, and the focus is on the faith of the person who has died. While storytelling is vitally important at the time of a death, the visitation and gatherings after the funeral are the best spots to share stories. As eulogizing can be an emotional experience, we recommend that the eulogy be written out beforehand. Please keep the eulogy to three or four minutes.

Music

If you have hymns that you would like sung at the funeral, please let us know. Here are some hymn suggestions:

• City of God
• I Will Always Be With You
• I am the Bread of Life
• Hail Mary, Gentle Woman
• Be Not Afraid
• How Great Thou Art
• On Eagles Wings
• Here I Am
• Be Still
• Eye Has Not Seen
• Taste and See
• Amazing Grace, My Chains are Gone

Live Streaming

We have the ability to live stream the funeral. Viewers can go to youtube.com/@ololmke/streams to view the service. There will be an icon to click for this funeral with the name of the deceased.

Parish Hall Reception

If you wish to have a reception in the Parish Hall, we will provide coffee, water, and hosts to wipe down the tables afterward.

You are responsible for finding a caterer, serving the food and packing up the leftovers. Note: because we do not have a liquor license, we cannot have alcohol served on the premises.