C
cnich123
Guest
I have to attend a funeral in a morman church. Is there any problem with a catholic attending? Does anyone know what to expect?
- Status
L
Lisa_N
Guest
Yes it’s fine to attend regardless of your faith. My aunt became a Mormon late in life and we attended her funeral although none of us are Mormons. It was a very lovely service. The Mormons seem to have lay people perform all of the functions that you usually see a priest or minister performing. I was very touched by the young men who left work for an hour to sing and give a tribute. Other than that it was no different than any other funeral I’ve attended. Just no priest or minister to preside over the service.
Lisa N
T
tkdnick
Guest
I don’t really see anything wrong with attending an LDS funeral service.
E
Exporter
Guest
As I read the question it was asking if the Church disapproves of attending a service at a Church outside of the Catholic Church.
On EWTN about two months ago those two Priests from PA were answering question via telephone. Esentially the same question was asked. The Priest whose name starts with a “T” said to the caller," If you attend services in another Church, and not a Catholic Church and you condone or accept their prayers honor their rites; then, you are moving away from Holy Mother Church. You are tacitly approving of the other Church doctrines.
Forty years ago, before Political Correctness, our Priests said straight out that we should never attend a Protestant Church service.
On EWTN about two months ago those two Priests from PA were answering question via telephone. Esentially the same question was asked. The Priest whose name starts with a “T” said to the caller," If you attend services in another Church, and not a Catholic Church and you condone or accept their prayers honor their rites; then, you are moving away from Holy Mother Church. You are tacitly approving of the other Church doctrines.
Forty years ago, before Political Correctness, our Priests said straight out that we should never attend a Protestant Church service.
L
Lisa_N
Guest
Thank you for that perspective. I hadn’t read it that way but I think you are probably correct that the question was about the propriety with respect to the Catholic. Now if you attend a funeral of another faith and do not accept prayers etc is it OK?
Lisa N
O
otm
Guest
Lisa N said:
Yes.
The priest who was giving the answer cut to the conservative side of the Church’s position. Someone else could cut to the liberal side, far enough possibly to leave one thinking that there is essentially no difference between the Catholic Church and Protestant churches, or the Mormon (LDS) church, or Jehova’s Witness.
As far as acceptiong prayers, I would be really curious as to what the priest was really getting at. For example, if everyone says the Our Father, could you participate? I doubt that is “accepting prayers”.
as to why their appear no ministers, their church believes in a very widespread “priesthood”, which all active males join as they reach their teenage years. You probably saw an individual get up who, if asked, would be identified as a bishop.
Their idea of a bishop is light years away from ours. As in, it is not even on the back side of Saturn; it is out of the sloar system…
J
JCPhoenix
Guest
I have to disagree with that comment from Father Trujilio…and would really wonder if there was more to the caller’s question AND Fr. Trujilio’s answer.
Attending a funeral is accepted and welcomed. We aren’t there for ourselves but to offer prayers for the deceased and to pay our respects to the person and the family. We can’t control their faith and being present at their funeral does not convery acceptance of their exact worship practices. PARTICIPATING would be different, ie if the religion asked you to read from the Book of Mormon and you did so…etc.
We have to look at this with common sense as well as Catholic teaching. Use St. Mother Therese as an example (she has been canonized, no?). She actually respected the beliefs of the people who died in her charge. If they were Catholic, obviously they recieved a Catholic funeral. If they were Buddist, she made arrangements with respect to their religion. If she didn’t know for sure, she followed the practices of the Hindu religion as it was statistically the most probable beliefe of the person.
This has to do with human dignity just as much as with belief. God gave us free will…and our attendance at a funeral to say goodbye to a friend and have the opportunity to pray for them is ENCOURAGED even if their religion is different from ours.
BTW, I have actually heard priests on EWTN encourage people to occasionally attend a protestant service (as well as MASS) as we can learn something from them. They may not have the fullness of the faith but they are our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Attending a funeral is accepted and welcomed. We aren’t there for ourselves but to offer prayers for the deceased and to pay our respects to the person and the family. We can’t control their faith and being present at their funeral does not convery acceptance of their exact worship practices. PARTICIPATING would be different, ie if the religion asked you to read from the Book of Mormon and you did so…etc.
We have to look at this with common sense as well as Catholic teaching. Use St. Mother Therese as an example (she has been canonized, no?). She actually respected the beliefs of the people who died in her charge. If they were Catholic, obviously they recieved a Catholic funeral. If they were Buddist, she made arrangements with respect to their religion. If she didn’t know for sure, she followed the practices of the Hindu religion as it was statistically the most probable beliefe of the person.
This has to do with human dignity just as much as with belief. God gave us free will…and our attendance at a funeral to say goodbye to a friend and have the opportunity to pray for them is ENCOURAGED even if their religion is different from ours.
BTW, I have actually heard priests on EWTN encourage people to occasionally attend a protestant service (as well as MASS) as we can learn something from them. They may not have the fullness of the faith but they are our brothers and sisters in Christ.
L
Lisa_N
Guest
Yes I remember now they do had some kind of hierarchy. One of the main speakers was probably the bishop. He seemed to be in charge. At the Temple in SLC they have “the prophet” who is the number one guy so to speak. Does every stake have its own bishop or is this someone who covers a specific territory? I am not sure of the functions of each. It’s definitely a unique religion!
Thanks for the info.
Lisa N
B
boppysbud
Guest
No there are no huge differences other than the fact that the Mormons like Protestants will not pray for the soul of the departed person. I actually attended a Mormon funeral for a divorced Mormon man, He was honoured, but his ex-wife and children were shunned, it was as if they were not even there. At the end you noticed that the body was dressed up in it’s temple attire, headband, apron, just like a Mason.
At the burial itself at the cemetary there was a long prayer “blessing” the grave. but it was nothing like a Catholic Blessing just a long extempore prayer.
At the burial itself at the cemetary there was a long prayer “blessing” the grave. but it was nothing like a Catholic Blessing just a long extempore prayer.
B
boppysbud
Guest
Every ward has it’s own bishop, (a ward is the Mormon equivalent to parish, just as a stake is the mormon equivalent to a Diocese) The stake is presided over by the Stake President. All the levels of mormon heirarchy are lay positions, and other than the “Prophet” they are appointed to their positions for a certian defined period of time.
L
Lisa_N
Guest
Thank you for the info. I actually lived in SLC as a small child but obviously didn’t understand much about my Mormon neighbors. The one thing I remembered is that they are very BIG on theatrical productions. Each stake put on plays and there was a competition between the various stakes then up to wards and so on. The winning stake was allowed to perform in the Tabernacle. It’s sort of odd to me that such a strict religion is so flamboyant in this area.
Lisa N
O
otm
Guest
Lisa N said:
I suspect that has to do with their take on the family, and family activities, and works.
The Catholic Church is accused of being a church of “works” (you can earn your way to heaven). The Mormon church is a church of “works”. It is said that by the time a boy reaches 12, he will be involved in 16 to 20 hours per week of religious and religious related activities (Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts are “religious related” activities - the Mormon church is one of the largest, if not the largest, promoters of Scouting).
- Status