Ash Wednesday Funeral

[1AspiringSaint1]

Hey guys,

my family and I were talking today about a funeral that is supposed to be taking place at our parish on Ash Wednesday. What we were wondering was if ashes would be distributed at the funeral mass?

Has anyone experienced this before?

Thanks

 

[PopePiusXIISupp]

No ashes would be put on the foreheads. A funeral Mass will occur instead. They are different Masses.

 

[tawny]

A funeral Mass is just that; only a funeral Mass; even if it occurs on Ash Wednesday. The Mass & service for the distribution of Ashes will be the Mass of the day.

 

[Kielbasi]

Has anyone experienced this before?

Thanks

Ash Wednesday is one of the busiest days of the year for many Catholic churches, I’m surprised that they couldn’t move the funeral forward a day, or delay it a day–with all of the other visitors coming in for the distribution of ashes during and outside of mass.

Not to mention the fact a lot of churches have fish frys scheduled this Wednesday too

I’ve never experienced this, I bet most haven’t because of the logistics problems, in most cases funeral masses aren’t scheduled for the date.

 

[RCTechGeek]

I thought Ash Wednesday was one of those days during the year that you can’t hold a requiem (funeral Mass) on.

 

[UpUpAndAway]

I thought Ash Wednesday was one of those days during the year that you can’t hold a requiem (funeral Mass) on.

I haven’t heard this, but even if that’s the case it’s still possible to have a funeral outside of Mass and I doubt there would be a restriction on that - according to my pastor, they are allowed between Mass on Holy Thursday and the Easter Vigil while funeral Masses are not.

 

[Kielbasi]

I thought Ash Wednesday was one of those days during the year that you can’t hold a requiem (funeral Mass) on.

Apparently you are allowed to, I took a look at the obits in today’s Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the first one I looked at was a Catholic whose funeral mass was scheduled for Wednesday morning.

The OP’s situation might not be such an outlier as I originally thought.

 

[Phemie]

Apparently you are allowed to, I took a look at the obits in today’s Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the first one I looked at was a Catholic whose funeral mass was scheduled for Wednesday morning.

The OP’s situation might not be such an outlier as I originally thought.

According to the GIRM the celebration of a Funeral Mass is not quite as restricted as other ritual Masses such as those for weddings and ordinations. GIRM 372. Ritual Masses are connected to the celebration of certain Sacraments or Sacramentals. They are prohibited on Sundays of Advent, Lent, and Easter, on Solemnities, on the days within the Octave of Easter, on the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls’ Day), on Ash Wednesday, and during Holy Week, and furthermore due regard is to be had for the norms set out in the ritual books or in the Masses themselves.

GIRM 380. Among the Masses for the Dead, the Funeral Mass holds first place. It may be celebrated on any day except for Solemnities that are Holydays of Obligation, Thursday of Holy Week, the Paschal Triduum, and the Sundays of Advent, Lent, and Easter, with due regard also for all the other requirements of the norm of the law.