General Music is integral to the funeral rites. It allows the community to express convictions and feelings that words alone may fail to convey. It has power to console and uplift the mourners and to strengthen the unity of the assembly in faith and love. The texts of songs chosen for a particular celebration should express the paschal mystery of the Lord’s suffering, death, and triumph over death and should be related to the readings from Scripture.
Since music can evoke strong feelings, the music for the celebration rites should be chosen with great care. The music at funerals should support, console, and uplift the participants and should help to create in them a spirit of hope in Christ’s victory over death and in the Christian’s share in the victory.
Music should be provided for the vigil and the funeral liturgy and, whenever possible, for the funeral processions and the rite of committal. The specific notes that precede each of these rites suggest places in the rites where music is appropriate. Many musical settings used by the parish community during the liturgical year may be suitable for use at funerals. Efforts should be made to develop and expand the parish’s repertoire for use at funerals.
An organist or other instrumentalist, a cantor, and whenever possible, even a choir should assist the assembly’s full participation in singing the songs, responses, and acclamations of these rites"
(Order of Christian Funerals: General Introduction, 30-33).
Specific to St. Mary DeKalb Because music has such a dignified place within the funeral liturgies, at St. Mary Catholic Church we presume that our organist and cantor will be assisting at each funeral, please see Funeral Policies and Procedures for further details. Guest musicians or cantors will be considered at the family’s request and could be incorporated into the funeral liturgy according to specific abilities and preferences of each musician or cantor.The following are lists of music suitable to Catholic Funeral Liturgies. Music not appearing on these lists will be considered on an individual basis, and recorded music is never appropriate for Catholic liturgy.
See the Funeral Music tabs on the left for a list of acceptable music selections.