OK to attend funeral mass for someone I don't know?

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I am in the beginning stages of planning my pre-paid funeral, which I am doing because no one in my family is Catholic and I would like to have a Catholic funeral. Meanwhile, I have never been to a Catholic funeral myself. Would it be wrong for me to attend a few funerals in my parish even if I don’t know the person, so I can see what it is like? And of course, I would appreciate being able to go to Mass as well, since the Eucharist is the center of my life.
 
Absolutely YES you can go.

By all means, do go.

You will be praying for the deceased and receiving the Graces of the Mass.

Do not hesitate to attend.
 
Yes, attend any funeral, especially at your parish. It is a way of fulfilling the corporeal work of mercy to bury the dead.
 
I’d suggest sitting down with your pastor and he can give you a copy of the funeral liturgy and go over options with you.

You can certainly attend any Mass, it might be awkward depending on the size of the funeral.
 
cgoodson2002 said:
Meanwhile, I have never been to a Catholic funeral myself. Would it be wrong for me to attend a few funerals in my parish even if I don’t know the person, so I can see what it is like? And of course, I would appreciate being able to go to Mass as well, since the Eucharist is the center of my life.
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I was just at a funeral mass last week, and there were a few individuals there who weren’t part of the “funeral party” in attendance. Its done all the time, not unheard of at all.
 
As others have said, you are absolutely free to go to any mass celebrated in your parish, including wedding masses.
 
We all pray fro the souls of the faithful departed. We don’t know even a small percent of them! Why wouldn’t you go to a funeral?
Our staff at the parish are all encouraged to attend every funeral.
We’re in this together. We mourn together.
We rejoice in the Resurrection of the body, together.
Go. When you pass, others will certainly pray for your soul as well.
 
Yes you may.

I was going to take my non Catholic father to the funeral of a Catholic friend of his held in our parish. My father is ill and requires help with transportation and walking. While I knew who the man was, I’d never met him. I would have been honored to attend his funeral Mass to pray for him. My father, having just come home from a lengthy hospital stay, felt he didn’t have the stamina to attend the funeral so we are not going. I can still pray for the man at Mass sunday.
 
cgoodson2002 said:
I am in the beginning stages of planning my pre-paid funeral, which I am doing because no one in my family is Catholic and I would like to have a Catholic funeral. Meanwhile, I have never been to a Catholic funeral myself. Would it be wrong for me to attend a few funerals in my parish even if I don’t know the person, so I can see what it is like? And of course, I would appreciate being able to go to Mass as well, since the Eucharist is the center of my life.
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Absolutely. It will be beneficial to you as well as the departed soul. The Mystical Body of Christ in this instance…the Church militant praying for the Church suffering on their way to the Church triumphant. We are indeed family.
 
Yes, you most certainly may go. Most decedent’s families appreciate seeing the community there.
 
I’ve been to a few where I don’t know the deceased. Just by chance happened to make a visit at the same time as a funeral. I sit in the back so people don’t wonder how I knew the deceased & I don’t go to the reception. 😉
 
I’ve been to several. It’s always nice to provide support to total strangers, just by your presence, and to contribute your prayers to their own for the deceased. Usually, the people who are present, but who didn’t know the family/friends/deceased will sit towards the back, though there’s no particular rule that segregates you from everyone else.

Once, I was in a city about 45 minutes away from my home, running errands. I randomly decided to pop in the church for their noon Mass. We realized there was a funeral about to start. I almost didn’t go in, because I hadn’t been expecting to go to church in the first place, and I was wearing my scruffy jeans and T-shirt for hauling the lumber and building supplies I was planning on picking up. But I decided to go in anyways and add my prayers for whoever had passed away. One of the church ladies from my town was there in the vestibule and saw me. “Oh, I’m so glad you could make it!” It turns out, the funeral was for her twin unborn grandbabies. It was one of the most moving funerals I’d ever been to, hearing what those little guys had accomplished even without ever having been born— and I was happy that I had chosen to go, rather than turning away because (it was a stranger) (I wasn’t dressed correctly) (etc).
 
Years ago I decided to go to a funeral mass. I don’t know what prompted me to do it, but in the parking lot I found a beautiful flower. I guess that was a good thing.
 
In Italy, if someone in our village dies on a Friday or Saturday, their Funeral Mass is incorporated in the normal Sunday Mass. I have more than once been surprised to get to church and find a hearse outside. Everyone joins in, as others have said.

Same happens for weddings - they are part of the scheduled Masses, there’s no separate service. It’s nice.
 
seagal said:
As others have said, you are absolutely free to go to any mass celebrated in your parish, including wedding masses.
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Years age a priest told us we are welcome to come to any Catholic Mass for whatever it is being said. God Bless, Memaw
 
By all means it’s ok to attend. The more prayers the better offered for the repose of the soul of a faithful departed.
 
A lot of the very elderly have no friends or family left to pray for them. Your prayers would be a blessing.
 
In my parish, daily mass is cancelled if there is a funeral mass. Everyone is welcome to attend the funeral mass 🙂
 
Not only is it ok, but it is one of the spiritual works of mercy.
Praying for the dead is something many people do not do, thier time in purgatory is affected by this.
And since this is the year of mercy we ALL should probably go to a funeral of someone we don’t know this year!
 
cgoodson2002 said:
I am in the beginning stages of planning my pre-paid funeral, which I am doing because no one in my family is Catholic and I would like to have a Catholic funeral. Meanwhile, I have never been to a Catholic funeral myself. Would it be wrong for me to attend a few funerals in my parish even if I don’t know the person, so I can see what it is like? And of course, I would appreciate being able to go to Mass as well, since the Eucharist is the center of my life.
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Yes as someone mentioned corporal works of mercy. I suggest not going to get “ideas” for your own funeral. There are optional readings but for the most part you are not going to be able to include or exclude various elements of the Liturgy.

Who knows maybe some day you will be greeted in heaven by the person you didn’t know!
 
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