The Seasons of Life

"There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every affair under the heavens. A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to love..." ( Ecclesiastes 3:1-11 )

In the Past

You have loved others, comforted them and shared their losses. During the time ahead it will be your turn, your time to be loved, to be comforted and to let others share your grief. Perhaps you are entering into the process of making arrangements for your own Funeral.

Several local Funeral Home representatives are available to help you through the necessary planning and preparation. Many of them have placed an advertisement on the back of Nativity's weekly parish bulletin. For more information, please pick up a bulletin at the entrances of the church.

The Vigil Service

The primary purpose of wakes or calling hours is to make it possible for others to share your sorrow, to lend you support, and to pray for your departed loved one. The words and embraces of friends and relatives, their prayers, their phone calls, written notes and e-mails, their silent presence at the family residence or in the funeral home will raise you from the depths and help you carry on.

The Funeral Mass

The Funeral Mass especially expresses our faith in Jesus' victory over death and our personal share in that resurrection. It does so through prayers and blessings, through songs and readings, through ceremonies and symbols.

Having funeral rites in the presence of the body of the deceased is still the expressed ideal of the Church; however, bringing the cremated remains to the Mass is also acceptable. A table is available near the Sanctuary.

The family, relatives and friends of the deceased person can, if possible, choose Scriptural Readings for the Mass.

   A reading from the Old Testament