Page 17 - COBH EDITION 1st NOVEMBER DIGITAL VERSION

I did some research and I came across a piece written by a Msgr. Mannion. He holds
a Ph.D in sacramental theology from The Catholic University of America. He was
founding president of The Society for Catholic Liturgy in 1995 and the founding edi-
tor of the Society’s journal, Antiphon and founded the Mundelein Liturgical Institute
in 2000.
I think it’s safe to assume that this man knows the rules of the Church and accord-
ing to him, eulogies at Catholic funerals are officially discouraged unless delivered at
the graveside or at the luncheon that generally follows the funeral.

His difficulty with the eulogy is that it usually comes at the end of the Mass when
people are psychologically and spiritually prepared to bring matters to a conclusion.
Most people find the prayers and rituals of the funeral Mass very comforting and
healing. Prolonged and emotional words spoken at the end of the Mass tend to undo
all the healing that has occurred during the Mass.

I think that’s debateable but while not being able to give a eulogy at the Funeral
Mass might not sit well with many people, there are other practical reasons why
eulogies are discouraged.
Funeral directors and priests often operate to a tight schedule and must coordinate
events because of other activities taking place in the churches and the graveyards
and while they don’t want to be rushing anyone, they do need to avoid unnecessary
delays too.

In Mnsr. Mannions experience, there are a number of factors that can cause prob-
lems for the schedule and he was often faced with two or more people wanting to
speak at the end of the Mass and sometimes he had up to five people delivering a
eulogy and speakers often went on for fifteen to thirty minutes.

Many times, eulogies were delivered by people who became very emotional and had
great difficulty in delivering their words which became very uncomfortable for the
assembly and often resulted in more grief for the bereaved.

On one occasion Mnsr. Mannion had to sit through a eulogy while a child of the de-
ceased openly proclaimed that he knew that all this “Church stuff” was important to
his father, but that he didn’t believe in any of it — especially life after death!
I understand the need for a sense of decorum, and nobody wants to listen to a
eulogy that is likely to upset the family or disrespect the priest but maybe that could
be avoided if a script was given to the priest in advance of the funeral Mass.

My mother-in-law was 100 years and 6 months old when she died. She was a reli-
gious woman and a dedicated Mass goer all her life. Her son delivered her eulogy in
the graveyard and I think it’s a pity it had to be done there.

Read more from Trevor on his blog at www.trevorlaffan.com