Funerals are celebrated at St Brendan’s Parish according to the needs of the grieving family and the availability of the church and priest. Usually the family or the funeral director will contact the parish office to arrange the details.
We are so blessed to have a very professional, dedicated group of women (Bereavement Team) who meet with the family to arrange the ceremony, a booklet, music, altar servers, etc. They are understanding of people’s grief and are a healing support as well as a practical presence.
The Christian who dies in Christ reaches, at the end of his or her earthly existence, the fulfillment of that new life which was begun in Baptism, strengthened in Confirmation, and nourished in the Eucharist, the foretaste of the heavenly banquet. The meaning of the death of a Christian becomes clear in the light of the death and Resurrection of Christ our only hope. The Christian who dies in Christ Jesus goes “away from the body to be at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8)
Funeral rites consist of four principal parts: welcoming the body of the deceased by the community with words of comfort and hope, the liturgy of the Word, the Eucharistic Sacrifice, and the farewell in which the soul of the departed is entrusted to God, the Source of eternal life. The body is buried in the hope of the resurrection.
After the funeral our parish reaches out to those who are grieving to offer prayer, comfort and support.
Bereavement Catering Team
The Bereavement Catering Team, which is a Ministry of the Parish
will, on the request from a family of a deceased, cater for a Funeral Reception (Wake). This is held in the Monsignor Jeffrey Centre located behind the church. No catering will be done at any other venue. A choice of food will be discussed with the family. There is a cost for this service. To access this service contact should be made either via the Bereavement Team or the Parish Office.