Odd question - Catholic funeral for two or more deceased?

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My mind goes strange places at times but now I’m curious. Say a family lost two or more of their children in a tragic accident - could they have one funeral Mass for both? Or another example, say a war where a mass grave is discovered and it wouldn’t be possible to recover the bodies separately? Sorry for the morbid questions but I wonder because I write fiction or maybe someone will ask me. :confused:
 
My mind goes strange places at times but now I’m curious. Say a family lost two or more of their children in a tragic accident - could they have one funeral Mass for both? Or another example, say a war where a mass grave is discovered and it wouldn’t be possible to recover the bodies separately? Sorry for the morbid questions but I wonder because I write fiction or maybe someone will ask me. :confused:
Yes, a funeral Mass can be in the plural.

There is nothing even remotely prohibiting this.
 
Thanks for the replies and the information. I got sidetracked and didn’t get back to this thread and just remembered it.

If anyone has been at a funeral like this and doesn’t mind my asking, how is it structured, and what might be the circumstances besides those I thought of?
 
Thanks for the replies and the information. I got sidetracked and didn’t get back to this thread and just remembered it.

If anyone has been at a funeral like this and doesn’t mind my asking, how is it structured, and what might be the circumstances besides those I thought of?
Group funeral in the wake of a tragedy: Our Lady of the Angels school fire, Chicago, 1958. There was a single funeral for 3 nuns killed in the fire. There was also a mass funeral for 24 or so (not sure of the exact number) of the children killed, out of the 92 child fatalities. I recall this tragedy fairly well in that when it occurred I was attending an old, wooden parochial grammar school originally built in 1905, and the parents approached the pastor regarding the need for a new school building, which was eventually built.
 
Thanks for the replies and the information. I got sidetracked and didn’t get back to this thread and just remembered it.

If anyone has been at a funeral like this and doesn’t mind my asking, how is it structured, and what might be the circumstances besides those I thought of?
It is structured exactly the same way. There is no difference except for the obvious fact that the prayers are changed from the singular to the plural.

There are all kinds of possible reasons.

Sometimes, more than one person dies in a car crash, bus crash, plane crash or fire. It’s unfortunate, but it does happen quite often. A married couple might both be killed in a robbery-murder.

Not to be morbid or seem disrespectful of when this happens, but I can’t help but ask why you would think that such things do not happen?
 
It is structured exactly the same way. There is no difference except for the obvious fact that the prayers are changed from the singular to the plural.

There are all kinds of possible reasons.

Sometimes, more than one person dies in a car crash, bus crash, plane crash or fire. It’s unfortunate, but it does happen quite often. A married couple might both be killed in a robbery-murder.

Not to be morbid or seem disrespectful of when this happens, but I can’t help but ask why you would think that such things do not happen?
I just couldn’t remember if I had ever heard of a funeral for more than one person, and since I had no examples to draw from, I tried Google but my search terms didn’t work because I couldn’t get it specific enough to yield the results I was after. So I was still wondering what I had wondered in the first place, namely whether the liturgy is required to be for only one deceased soul at a time. I appreciate your answers - they are just what I was hoping for.

Obviously I hope the circumstances in which joint funerals would be appropriate are few and far between in real life. Yet it’s good to know that families and loved ones of the deceased could choose to honor them collectively - seems that would be fitting, and would help keep down costs which can be a financial hardship at an already difficult time.

Finally, since I do write fiction, I might have an idea for a story in which this funeral scenario would figure, and if I do I’ll know how to approach it. Thanks again!
 
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