Blog:Why are there no eulogies in a Catholic Funeral Mass?

Blog post: March 12, 2024 by Michael

Exiting Requiem Mass, undated (Catholic University of America collection)

Well, there are not supposed to be eulogies in a Funeral, or Requiem, Mass, although some pastors allow it.

The purpose of the Liturgy & lay participation at Mass

Liturgical celebrations are, by definition, public ceremonies (see Glossary: Liturgy). But they are not for the public. In liturgical celebrations, the faithful come together to celebrate, praise, and glorify God. When we interject ourselves into the Mass, we make it about us, not God. I love a good Homily, and enjoy a particularly beautiful choir, but those liturgical elements elevate and do not replace the purpose of the Mass.

The principle behind lay participation in Mass is engagement of the faithful -- just as teachers are to make "activities" to engage students, lay participation is supposed to elevate liturgical devotion and attendance. But I fear the real motivation, knowingly or not, is for the latter, attendance.

The problem is that devotion and attendance may not go hand-in-hand if what draws attendance does not yield devotion. My parish can fill a Mass with families of the children singing in the choir, but most only show up for Mass when their children "perform." When I congratulate the parents on the beautiful singing, they always smile with pride, but my question about coming back to Mass the next Sunday yields a blank stare. (Careful, there, parents: it's not about your child, it's about your child glorifying God.)

Similarly, serving as a lay minister oneself can get in the way of devotion. When I usher at Mass, I am far less attendant upon the liturgy than if I were to stay in the pews focusing on God alone. And so, too, being served by a so-called extraordinary Eucharistic Minister can be a distraction. I know I am receiving a Host no less a consecrated if distributed to me by a priest or a lay minister. Still, when I am in line for the "Extraordinary" Minister, I have to deliberately remove my thoughts and attention from that person, dress, or demeanor, whereas on receiving it from the priest I feel closer to God through the presence of his properly attired, fully ordained representative

The Sign of Peace

Participation of the laity must augment and not detract from the Presence of Christ. It doesn't have to, but when lay participation becomes its own purpose, we have demoted the purpose of the Mass. For example, many parishioners, I suspect, don't even understand what Jesus meant by, "My peace I give you." The Scriptural source is John 14:27, which in the NAB lies under the section heading, "The Advocate," generally where the Evangelist records Christ's instruction to the Apostles on the Holy Spirit. So when the priest pronounces those words and all "offer each other the sign of peace," is it to invoke the Holy Spirit upon one another, or is it a friendly greeting and little break from the droning of the Eucharistic prayer?

As in Scripture, so also the Liturgy: context, context, context: the Sign of Peace follows the Lord's Prayer, so we ought consider what Mother Church teaches us about the "peace" we pray for when asking God to "deliver us from evil" -- and offer the "sign of peace" to one another:

When we ask to be delivered from the Evil One, we pray as well to be freed from all evils, present, past, and future, of which he is the author or instigator. In this final petition, the Church brings before the Father all the distress of the world. Along with deliverance from the evils that overwhelm humanity, she implores the precious gift of peace and the grace of perseverance in expectation of Christ's return. By praying in this way, she anticipates in humility of faith the gathering together of everyone and everything in him who has "the keys of Death and Hades," who "is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty." [emphasis mine]

We can further consider that when Jesus sent the disciples to pronounce that the "Kingdom of God is at hand" (Mt. 10:7), he told them,

"As you enter a house, wish it peace. If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; if not, let your peace return to you." (Mt 10:12)

The NAB footnote explains,

"The greeting of peace is conceived of not merely as a salutation but as an effective word. If it finds no worthy recipient, it will return to the speaker. [emphasis mine]

An "effective word" means one that "effects", or causes effect. Do we truly "effect" one another at the Sign of Peace, or is it just for participation points? Don't get me wrong: as do I, people love offering one another the Sign of Peace, but if we do so outside of its scriptural sense, we praise one another, not God. Again, I worry that it's there to help us show up every Sunday and keep us busy once we're there. I hope it's meaningful. It could be meaningful. But if not, then it's just another of what Fr. Peter Stravinskas of the Priestly Society of Saint John Henry Cardinal Newman calls the "consumer mentality" of Mass. Father Stravinskas warns,

"We have to get rid of the consumer mentality attached to liturgy."

Eulogies at a Requiem Mass

Father's comment regards a scandalous Funeral Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral, at which the Cathedral's Director of Liturgy had to order the presiding priest not to proceed with Mass, as it had turned into a show about the deceased and his personal causes, and ceased celebration of God. Even as a "funeral service" and not a "Funeral Mass," it was improperly held in a Church, much less a Cathedral. My consideration here of the Requiem Mass is not about what happened at St. Patrick's. We are to learn from that event, however, as it provides, as do all things, good or bad, an opportunity to learn about our faith. For our topic today, let us consider the proper form of the Requiem Mass.

I'm afraid that some Catholics, and most non-Catholics, will wonder why no eulogies were presented at a Funeral Mass they have attended in the past. My experience, however, including recently at a Episcopalian funeral Mass (modeled on the Anglican Church, which is modeled on the Catholic Church), has been that eulogies are the norm: the Liturgies were celebrated, and family members or friends spoke about the deceased.

In the Catholic Church, this is not proper.

From the US Conference of Catholic Bishops website:

At the funeral liturgy, the Church gathers with the family and friends of the deceased to give praise and thanks to God for Christ's victory over sin and death, to commend the deceased to God's tender mercy and compassion, and to seek strength in the proclamation of the Paschal Mystery. The funeral liturgy, therefore, is an act of worship, and not merely an expression of grief.

Yet, Catholic Masses frequently feature eulogies after the Rite of Communion. The reason is simple, people want them and priests give in to it. See this column by Msgr. M. Francis Mannion in the Catholic News Agency, Viewpoint: Are eulogies allowed at funeral masses?:

In my experience, at least half of the time one or more family members or friends want to give a eulogy after the Prayer after Communion of the Funeral Mass. The funeral planning meeting is no place to argue liturgical principles, lay down the law, and provide an outright refusal of the request for someone to give a eulogy at Mass. This creates bad feelings that can ripple through the family for years. But it can be an occasion to explain as gently as possible the principles involved, and come to a solution which can keep everyone relatively happy.

Fr. Mannion's solution is to make peace with the family by promising a eulogy in the Homily:

One can explain the difference between a homily and a eulogy. The homily, given after the Gospel by the priest or deacon, is an interpretation of the person's life by reference to the suffering, death, resurrection and ascension of Christ.

While noting that the funeral vigil is "certainly a place" for eulogies, and Fr. Mannion say, "I always try to steer [families] toward the vigil." What that means is he does give in some of the time, with the compromise of a brief, appropriate eulogy by a single family member and after Communion:

This is sometimes a tricky negotiation; the last thing a pastor wants to do is upset the family on the occasion of a funeral.  

I get Fr. Mannion's approach. But he's giving in. Would he similarly negotiate with sinful reception of the Eucharist? Would he negotiate sinful living arrangements or lifestyles? Fr. Mannion is a serious priest, and a serious thinker. (See his thoughtful columns at CNA here.) But he ends his discussion about eulogies at Requiem Masses with a capitulation that is at odds to his third paragraph, which quotes Church instructions:

In the General Introduction to the Order of Christian Funerals, we are told that a homily is to be given, "but there is never to be a eulogy" (no.27).

Interestingly, the USCCB does not provide easy access to no. 27. Indeed, the section on Bereavement and Funerals quotes form the "General Introduction" to the Order of Christian Funerals no.'s 4-6 only, and contains no direct link to it. Perhaps an oversight, but a curious one even if unintentional. The General Instruction of the Roman Missal, which the USSCB does publish on its website, flatly states,

382. At Funeral Masses there should usually be a short Homily, but to the exclusion of a funeral eulogy of any kind.

Pastoral dilution

Convenience is a slow burn path to dissipation. And once capitulated to, it becomes expedience, which is by definition deviation from principle.

The single greatest act of priestly love my wife and I received was when our Priest informed her she was not to participate in the sacraments, as she and I were improperly married. It was devastating to her -- and its healing was incalculably greater. We straightened things out, were married in the Church, and together we celebrated as proper man and wife the most miraculous and happy Easter Vigil Mass imaginable, at which I was confirmed (April 8, 2023; see Michael’s journey into the Church). Had Father "negotiated" with us on our sinful relationship, we never would have properly amended it.

While not publishing (as far as I can find) the Order of Christian Funerals, the USCCB does have Q&A article on Non-Catholic Readers at Funeral Mass | USCCB that quotes paragraph 133 from the "Directory for the Application of Principles and Norms on Ecumenism," (1993) that addresses another touchy topic about Catholic funerals. What if a non-Catholic, or not-practicing family member wants to read Scripture during the Liturgy of the Word?

The Directory makes clear that normally "during a eucharistic celebration in the Catholic Church" the readings are to be proclaimed by a Catholic. The Directory goes on, however, to allow that "on exceptional occasions and for a just cause, the bishop of the diocese may permit a member of another church or ecclesial community to take on the task of reader."

The intentions of the General Intercessions are proposed by "the deacon, another minister, or some of the faithful," (Lectionary for Mass, Introduction, number 30.) I would suggest that the principles established by the Directory for the proclamation of the readings could be applied to the General Intercessions: ordinarily, the intercessions at Mass are proclaimed by a Catholic. As in paragraph 133 of the Directory, however, the bishop may allow a non-Catholic proclaim the General Intercessions according to his own pastoral judgement.

[emphasis mine]

"Pastoral" -- a word that slides easily into synonymity with "expedience."

It's tough, as Fr. Mannion convincingly explains. Families must grieve. But their participation at a Requiem Mass is not scriptural, it is not Church tradition, and it does not do honor to God. Join the Mass, sing, recite prayers, receive the Eucharist if properly prepared, and pray your heart out for the beloved soul of the departed.

Let Mass be Mass, and the Wake be Wake -- and a joyous -- proper -- celebration of a life.

St.Joseph, pray for us!