Music at Funeral Masses

“The proclamation of Jesus Christ…is at the centre of the Church’s life. The mystery of the Lord’s death and resurrection gives power to all of the Church’s activity…The Church’s liturgical and sacramental life and proclamation of the Gospel make this mystery present in the life of the faithful.” (1)

Every time we gather for a liturgical celebration – for example, a weekday Mass, the Easter Vigil, Stations of the Cross, a funeral or wedding Mass – we gather to celebrate “the paschal mystery of (Christ’s) blessed passion, resurrection from the dead, and the glorious ascension, whereby ‘dying, he destroyed our death and, rising, he restored our life’” (2).  The Mass – the eucharistic sacrifice – is the principal liturgy of our faith as it celebrates Christ’s Passover from death to life. It is at the Mass that we are fed by Word and Sacrament to strengthen us for our pilgrimage towards the fulfilment of eternal life with the Risen Lord.

When a member of our parish family dies, the Church prays for their soul, commending them to God’s mercy and seeking forgiveness of their sins. The principal form of prayer for the deceased is the Funeral Mass. At the Funeral Mass, both heaven and earth – the great communion of saints – join around the altar as the Church commends the deceased to God. At the Funeral Mass, the Church also seeks to console those who are mourning, “that those saddened by the certainty of dying might be consoled by the promise of immortality to come.” (3)

Given how central the Mass is to the life of the Church and how central the Funeral Mass is at a time of death, appropriate care must be taken around the integrity of the Mass. Music plays an important part in the funeral rites of the Church, especially the Funeral Mass. Just as the Funeral Mass is centred on the Paschal Mystery of Christ, so too the music for a Funeral Mass ought to be centred on that same Mystery, “the paschal mystery of the Lord’s suffering, death, and triumph over death” (4) with the accompanying “hope in Christ’s victory over death and in the Christian’s share in that victory.” (5)

Considering the above and recognising the rich musical tradition of the Church that provides a large selection of hymns and settings (both old and new) suitable for incorporation into the Funeral Mass, music used at Funeral Masses ought to be hymns / instrumental pieces which are from Sacred Scripture and from liturgical sources, and appropriately convey our central hope and faith in the Paschal Mystery of Jesus Christ.

As such, given the importance and centrality of the Funeral Mass and the Paschal Mystery, and with consideration of copyright (see below), non-religious (“secular”) music is not allowed during the celebration of the Funeral Mass. A sample list of suitable hymns for the Funeral Mass is given in the appendix.

 
Consideration of Copyright
From mid-November 2024, the parish has purchased an appropriate annual licence to allow the use of a wide range of Catholic hymns and service music. This licence, paid for on an annual basis by the parish, includes the singing, performance and reproduction of these hymns and music, both in the church and via our livestream.

A hymn or piece of music is covered for use by this license if:
• The copyright holder / Member Publisher is a part of the license service.
• The song is listed in the license catalogue.
• The song is approved for the specific license our parish holds.

Hymns and music which may be covered by our license can be searched for via the licence provider’s website: https://www.onelicense.net/search . Hymns or pieces of music not covered by the licence the parish holds, or which are not in “public domain”, cannot be used in funeral Masses or any other liturgies, in part because it would put the parish at risk of significant fines if non-licensed hymns or music were to be used.
Where the family have a hymn, piece of music or non-religious song of special significance that they would like played or sung and which is not covered by the licence the parish holds, a fitting place would be after prayers have concluded at the graveside. In this case, it is up to the family to arrange for the proper license to be in place. The parish is not responsible for any liability arising from such events which take place outside the liturgy.

When Hymns Can Be Sung During the Funeral Mass
During the Funeral Mass, hymns are normally sung at the following moments:
• Entrance Procession (as we enter the church)
• Responsorial Psalm
• Gospel Acclamation
• Presentation of the Gifts (Bread and Wine)
• Holy Communion
• Recessional (as we leave the church)

Mass Parts such as the Sanctus (Holy, Holy, Holy), the Mystery of Faith, the Great Amen and the Agnus Dei (Lamb of God) may also be sung with the correct translation and with a setting that encourages the congregation to participate fully in them.

As part of the Final Commendation, it is the norm in this parish that, as permitted by the liturgical rites, the coffin is sprinkled with holy water and incensed. This is done in silence unless an appropriate Song of Farewell (e.g. Receive his/her soul…) is sung at this point.

O God, who willed that your Only Begotten Son,
having conquered death, should pass over into the realm of heaven,
grant, we pray, to your departed servants
that, with the mortality of this life overcome,
they may gaze eternally on you, their Creator and Redeemer.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever. Amen. (6)

Appendix – Hymns for A Funeral Mass
This list is not exhaustive but seeks to help families with choosing from the range of more popular hymns. Hymns chosen ought to be appropriate for the part of the Mass they are used at, e.g. Communion hymns at Communion time, hymns based on Psalms for the Responsorial Psalm, etc. All selections must be covered by our parish licence and must be agreed with the parish priest on the day before the Mass at the latest.
1. Ave Maria (various settings)
2. Pie Jesu
3. The Lord is my shepherd(various)
4. Panis Angelicus
5. There’s a Place (Lawton)
6. I watch the Sunrise
7. Ave verum corpus
8. May the road rise to meet you (Irish Blessing)
9. The Cloud’s Veil (Lawton)
10. Laudate Dominum (Mozart)
11. Amazing Grace
12. Eagles Wings
13. The Lord bless you and keep you (John Rutter)
14. How Great thou Art
15. Nearer my God to Thee
16. Here I am Lord
17. There are many Rooms (Lawton)
18. Voice of an Angel (Lawton)
19. As the Deer (Nystrom)
20. Be Thou my Vision
21. Be still and Know that I am God
22. Be Still for the Presence of the Lord
23. I am the Bread of Life
24. Be Not Afraid
25. May Songs of the Angels
26. In Paradisum
27. Song of Farewell (Sands)
28. The Hiding Place (Liam Lawton)
29. I am the Bread of Life (Lawton)
30. I will be the Vine (Lawton
31. Like a Shepherd
32. Soul of my Saviour
33. Sweet Sacrament Divine
34. Sweet Heart of Jesus
35. You Raise me Up
36. Make me a Channel of Your Peace
37. Cead Mile Failte
38. Ag Criost an Siol
39. The King of Love my Shepherd is
40. Christ Be Beside Me
41. Abide with Me

Footnotes

1 - Order of Christian Funerals (OCF), General Introduction, #2 (1991)

2 - Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy (Sacrosanctum Concilium, #5 (1963))

3 - Roman Missal (Third Edition), Preface I for the Dead

4 – OCF, #30

5 – OCF, #31

6 - Roman Missal, Masses for the Dead, For Several Deceased Persons or For All the Dead, 1, Collect.