“Throughout the Liturgies, the ancient Christians sang psalms and antiphons praising God’s mercy and entrusting the deceased to the angels and the saints”
Music is integral to funeral rites as it allows the community to express convictions and feelings that words alone may fail to convey. Its message and tone has the power to console and uplift mourners as well as unify the grieving community.
Therefore instead of seeking out popular secular songs which aren’t fitting in a liturgical setting, we seek to include solid liturgical music that can support, console, and uplift participants and help to create in them a spirit of hope in Christ’s victory over death.
Do you have favorite hymn or hymns that you would like played at your funeral? It is a good idea to jot them down either in a hymnal, Bible or a place where your will or important documents are kept.
The following list is a suggestion of appropriate liturgical music often used at funerals. Please note that many gathering songs are also fitting for sending forth songs and many preparation songs could be substituted for communion and vice versa.
GATHERING SONGS:
Alleluia! Sing to Jesus
Amazing Grace
I Know My Redeemer Lives
Morning Has Broken
You Are Mine
Now We Remain
How Great Thou Art
I Have Loved You
Love Divine, All Love Excelling
We Remember
How Can I Keep From Singing
Be Not Afraid
The Servant Song
Rain Down
In Christ There is No East or West
PSALMS:
23 Shepherd Me O God
The Lord is My Shepherd
27 The Lord is My Light
34 Taste and See
103 The Lord is Kind and Merciful
PREPARATION/OFFERTORY SONG:
On Eagles Wings
Prayer of St. Francis (Channel of Your Peace)
Ave Maria (Instrumental or Vocal)
You Are Near
Come to Me (Joncas)
We Remember
You Are Mine
COMMUNION SONG:
Let Us Be Bread
I Am the Bread of Life
Take and Eat
Shepherd of My Heart
Eye Has Not Seen
Be Not Afraid
SONG OF FAREWELL:
Saints of God
May Holy Angels Lead You (based on tune Danny Boy)
SENDING FORTH SONGS:
We Shall Rise Again
For All the Saints
Sing a New Song
Holy God, We Praise Thy Name
Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee
We Walk By Faith
All Creatures of Our God and King
Now Thank We All our God
Let All Things Now Living
For the Beauty of the Earth
I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say
Blest Are They
City of God
We Are Called
