Funerals

When a person dies, a special service is held called a funeral. In the Catholic Church, this service may be referred to as a Requiem Mass. Funerals usually include hymns, prayers and a short dedication to the life of the person who has died.

After the service, the body is either buried or cremated. If the person is to be buried, their body is washed, placed in a coffin, and laid to rest in the church, or more often in the chapel of rest at a funeral parlour. After a short service, the body is taken to the graveside where it is lowered into the ground and covered over with earth. As many churchyards have filled up with bodies, local parishes and councils have created larger places of burial, called cemeteries.

If a person is cremated, their body is burnt in a special oven at a very high temperature. The ashes are placed in a casket and can be buried, scattered or kept.

Christianity teaches that death is not the end but a new beginning with God. Most Christians believe that upon the Day of Judgement, Jesus will return, and both the living and the dead will be judged according to how they lived their lives on Earth.