Funeral service- the funeral rite performed by the priest; , through which he escorts the deceased into the world of other existence, prayerfully interceding for him, asking God to forgive him and grant him peace in. Funeral service is a popular name that was given to this rite because most of the prayers in it are sung. The funeral service is called “following the dead.”
Russian liturgical books Orthodox Church contain 6 types of death sequence:
1. infants - for Christians under 7 years of age;
2. worldly people;
3. monastic - for monks (including hieromonks);
4. priestly - for persons in the priestly rank, as well as bishops;
5. episcopal - according to the will of such (Holy Synod of December 13, 1963);
6. on the first week of Easter.
What is the meaning of a funeral service?
There are three main themes in a funeral service: theme obligatory prayer for the deceased, the theme of mortal memory and hope for resurrection. The Gospel reading at the funeral and the apostolic reading - they speak specifically about the resurrection!
On what day is the funeral service held?
The funeral service takes place in the church, usually on the third day after; The first day is considered to be the day of death itself (that is, if a person died on Wednesday, then it is customary to bury him on Friday).
The funeral service is performed according to a special rite during the days of Bright Easter Week: instead of sad funeral prayers, joyful solemn chants of Holy Easter are sung.
On the Day of Light Christ's Resurrection and on the feast of the Nativity of Christ, the deceased are not brought into the church and funeral services are not performed, moving it to the next day.
How is the funeral service performed?
The funeral service for the deceased is performed once, on the day of his burial. If it is not known for sure whether a person who once died was buried or not, then it is possible to order an absentee funeral service. The rites include, reading and. The funeral service must take place in the church. Since ancient times, according to tradition, the deceased was not only buried in the temple, but also left there for three days. And during this time, right up to the funeral, they read the Psalter for the deceased (see).
When coming to church, you should remember, firstly, that the funeral service is needed for prayer. And those who truly loved the deceased usually pray sincerely, that is, people close to him, those who worry about the soul of the deceased. Secondly, it would be good if people standing in the church took the text of the rite (you can download it in advance on the Internet) and understood what the choir was singing. Understanding what is happening will strengthen prayer and help the soul of a loved one.
It is customary for Orthodox Christians to bury them in a coffin, which remains open until the end of the funeral service (if there are no special obstacles to this). The body of the deceased in the coffin is covered with a special white cover (shroud) - as a sign that the deceased, who belonged to the Orthodox Church and united with Christ in her Holy Sacraments, is under the protection of Christ, under the patronage of the Church - she will pray for his soul until the end of time . A paper crown on the head of the deceased is a symbol of the crown, a symbolic designation of the fact that the deceased has gone into Eternal Life as a warrior who has won a victory on the battlefield.
All those accompanying the deceased pray with lit candles, signifying the Non-Evening Light of eternity. When saying goodbye, the icon on the chest and the forehead () of the deceased are kissed. In the case where the funeral service takes place with the coffin closed, the cross on the coffin lid is kissed.
Who shouldn't have a funeral service?
A priest may refuse to perform a funeral service for a non-church person or. Non-believers, atheists, agnostics, occultists made their choice during their lifetime. And we must respect this choice, even if it seems terrible to us. Meeting the Holy God will only bring them torment.
The funeral service is not performed for the unbaptized (including infants), heterodox and non-Orthodox people, as well as those killed while committing a crime and suicides.
In the latter case, the deceased may be buried if he committed suicide in a state of insanity or madness. To do this, relatives can seek written permission from the ruling ruler by submitting a petition to him with an attached medical report on the cause of death of their loved one.
Is it possible to have a funeral service in the morgue?
Is it possible to perform the funeral service in absentia?
It is possible, but only in exceptional cases (when the body is not found, buried by other people, or before those wishing to perform the funeral service turn to God).
Does a funeral service provide a guarantee of salvation?
It makes no sense to perform a funeral service for a person who did not confess during his lifetime. The funeral service is not a “pass to Heaven,” a magical act in which the deceased’s sins are automatically forgiven or his soul will definitely enter the Kingdom of God. The simultaneous funeral of several deceased is not a violation of liturgical rules.
What else can you do to help the soul of the deceased?
How does a funeral service differ from “ordinary” prayer for the deceased?
Nowadays, we often have to deal with bewilderment: if God hears and answers our prayers in general, then, of course, he also answers prayers for the departed; Why then does the funeral service exist? Is “simple” prayers really not enough for God?
The consequence of a misunderstanding of the meaning and importance of funeral services for the dead is that many treat this action as just a formal, ancient, folk ritual, no more significant than, for example, a funeral feast or the custom of throwing change into graves.
Others, on the contrary, approach this action mechanically or magically, believing that as soon as the funeral service is completed, the deceased will automatically be awarded the highest Heavenly Gifts.
In reality, neither the first nor the second judgment corresponds to the true nature and goals of the Christian funeral service.
By by and large The funeral service is a sacrament (although it is not called Church in the strict sense of the word). As a sacrament it involves a successive series of symbolic acts and prayers. In addition, during the funeral service, psalms, the Apostle, and the Gospel are read.
This helps the participants in the sacrament to better tune into a prayerful mood and promotes more sincere, concentrated, intense prayer. This is also facilitated by the presence (in front of the gathered relatives, friends, acquaintances...) of the coffin with the body of the deceased.
Unlike private prayers, prayers during a funeral service, which involves many farewells (seeing off), are conciliar in nature. And where at least two or three are gathered in the name of Christ, there He is in the midst of them ().
As a sign that the deceased was faithful (to one degree or another) to Christ and betrayed his soul to Him, a saint is placed on his chest. This is a symbol and sign that he is under the protection of Christ.
Covering the body of the deceased with a white cover - a shroud - has the same semantic meaning. Again, white color is associated with the light of Christ, moral purity.
The paper aureole placed on the head of the deceased symbolizes the crown of a warrior of Christ.
All this together has a positive effect on the fate of the deceased, including during the passage of terrible tests by him (his soul).
In accordance with church tradition, it is appropriate to perform the funeral service on the third day after death. According to the teachings of a number of holy fathers, at this time the period of stay of the soul separated from the body on earth ends. However, as a rule, the duration of the ordeal reaches forty days (in the earthly dimension) (in conditions present life The date of burial of the dead is often postponed by several days due to various reasons, such as: delay in autopsy, drawing up a conclusion on the cause of death, etc.).
At the end of the funeral service, loved ones give the deceased a final kiss and farewell. The priest then sprinkles earth on the body of the deceased; the coffin is closed and buried (if the coffin is closed, the cross on its lid is kissed).
What is burial (funeral service)?
Funeral is a prayer rite established by the Church for parting words and seeing off people to another world. Funeral service is the popular name that was given to this rite because more than half of the prayers in it are sung. The correct name for the funeral service is “death service” or “burial.”
Who is possible and who is impossible to perform a funeral service in the Orthodox Church?
In the Orthodox Church, only a person of the Orthodox faith can be buried. If there is any doubt regarding a person's religion or baptism, a priest should be consulted.
Funeral services are not performed for unbaptized babies, including those unborn as a result of miscarriage or abortion. About the afterlife fate of such, St. Gregory the Theologian wrote: “they will not be glorified and will not be punished by the righteous Judge... for not everyone who is not worthy of punishment is already worthy of honor, just as everyone who is not worthy of honor is already worthy of punishment.”
But there are cases when burial is not performed, even if the person was baptized in the Orthodox Church.
First of all, these are those who during their lifetime refused Orthodox faith in favor of another faith or non-belief (atheists, agnostics, occultists). The funeral service is not performed even when it is known for certain that the newly deceased blasphemed God during his lifetime or asked in his will not to be buried according to Orthodox custom.
Burial does not change anything in the posthumous fate of a person who did not confess God during his lifetime. And, even more so, if he positioned himself as an atheist, laughed at faith and believers, and maybe even was their persecutor. Such a person never repented, did not confess, did not strive for God, did not desire Him. You shouldn't force it on your soul loved one communication that he did not want during his life. We must respect this choice, even if it seems wrong to us. You should not force the will of a person after his death. God is his judge!
The Church also does not perform funeral services for suicides. These are people who did not want to fully endure the trials meted out to them and independently encroached on what lies solely in the power of God - human life.
Nevertheless, taking into account the grief of relatives and loved ones over the suicides, the Russian Orthodox Church established a prayer order to console them. The text of “The rite of prayerful consolation of relatives who died without permission” was adopted on July 27, 2011 at a meeting Holy Synod. If trouble has happened in your family and someone has passed away without permission, then you can ask the priest to serve this rite instead of the funeral service for the suicide.
Burial is performed as an exception only in cases where the suicide was mentally ill, random suicides - i.e. those who did not calculate the dose of alcohol, drank poison by mistake, accidentally discharged a barrel into themselves while cleaning a weapon, fell out of a window, simply wanting to scare relatives or make a joke on friends, faking a suicide attempt, etc. Then the Church can bury the deceased, but first his relatives will need to obtain special permission from the bishop, providing a certificate of his illness and death. In the same way, it is not necessary to perform a funeral service for murderers if they have not repented of their deeds.
It is important to remember that in commemorations of the deceased at funeral services or liturgies in the church, the names of people belonging to the groups listed above are not given. This is due to the fact that in the texts church prayers Orthodox Christians are commemorated, and therefore the inclusion of non-Orthodox names or people who died in opposition to Christianity would be a lie and deception.
Any deliberate concealment from the priest of information about the conditions of death and the religious views of the deceased is a grave sin for relatives or friends.
As per Orthodox tradition prepare the body of the deceased for burial?
The deceased is freed from clothes, the jaw is tied up and placed on a bench or on the floor, with a cloth spread over it. For ablution, use a sponge, warm water and soap, rubbing all parts of the body three times in a cross-shaped motion, starting with the head. There must be a cross on the neck of the deceased; if it is preserved, it must be a baptismal one. Dressed in a strict and new dress. As a rule, a man wears a suit without a tie, and a woman wears a long dress or long skirt with a turtleneck blouse and long sleeves. A Christian woman's head is covered with a large scarf that completely covers her hair, and its ends do not need to be tied, but simply folded crosswise. The washed and clothed body is placed face up in the coffin. The deceased's lips should be closed, his eyes closed, his hands folded crosswise on his chest, the right one on top of the left. Usually the vesting of the deceased takes place in a hospital or morgue. It is important that one of the relatives monitors the process of dressing and positioning the deceased in the coffin.
How to pray for the deceased?
As soon as relatives learn about the death of a loved one, it is important to begin praying for the deceased. This can be done by one of your relatives, friends or acquaintances. There is a tradition of asking one of the knowledgeable pious believers to perform prayer.
The following prayers are read: “Following the departure of the soul from the body.” The canon for the deceased, which is part of the “Sequence on the departure of the soul from the body,” is advisable to read daily until the burial of the deceased. In some prayer books, the “Canon for the deceased” is called the “Canon for the one deceased.” In addition, this canon is read each time the entire Psalter is read over the deceased.
For 40 days after death, you can read the following prayer in the morning and evening, which ends the Sequence: “Remember, O Lord our God, in the faith and hope of the eternal life of Your departed servant (Thy servant who passed away), our brother (our sister) (name), and as the Good and Lover of mankind, forgiving sins and consuming iniquities, weaken, forsake and forgive all voluntary and involuntary of his (her) sins, deliver him (her) from eternal torment and the fire of Gehenna, and grant him (her) the communion and enjoyment of Your eternal good things, prepared for those who love You: even if you sin, do not depart from You, and without a doubt in the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Glorious God in the Trinity, faith, and the Unity in the Trinity and the Trinity in Unity, is Orthodox even until your last breath of confession. , and with Your saints, as you are Generous, rest: for there is no man who will live and not sin, but You are the One besides all sin and Your truth is the truth forever, and You are the One God of mercy and generosity, and love for mankind, and to You be glory We send to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages."
An ancient custom is the reading of the Psalter for the deceased. Divinely inspired psalms console the grieving hearts of the deceased’s neighbors and serve to help the soul separated from the body.
If the days of remembrance fall after Easter, on Bright Week, then instead of the Psalter, according to tradition, one of the books of the New Testament is read.
It is recommended to order a sorokoust for the deceased - a prayerful commemoration in the church during the Divine Liturgy for forty days. If opportunities allow, then order magpie in several churches or monasteries. In the future, the sorokoust can be renewed or a note can be immediately submitted for long-term commemoration - six months or a year. During Great Lent, when the Divine Liturgy is celebrated much less frequently, in a number of churches the names of the deceased are commemorated - in the altar throughout Lent.
For forty days you can also read an akathist for the one who died. And in some cases, if possible, read the Psalter and Akathist together. For example, the Psalter in the morning, and the Akathist in the evening. And, of course, if possible, it is necessary to do alms, deeds of mercy for the deceased. It is precisely such actions that are a real indicator of love for the deceased.
When, where and why is the burial performed?
The burial should take place in the temple, according to custom, on the third day. In this case, the day of death itself is always included in the counting of days. For example, for someone who died on Sunday, the third day will be Tuesday. It is necessary to bring to the temple in advance: a copy of the deceased's passport, death certificate and certificate of baptism of the deceased (if available).
Since ancient times, according to tradition, the deceased was not only buried in the temple, but also left there for three days. During this time, right up to the funeral, the Psalter was read for the deceased. Currently, the deceased is brought to the temple directly for the burial ceremony. However, it is also possible to bring the coffin to the temple and leave it overnight, reading the entire Psalter over the deceased. The funeral service may also take place in the cemetery chapel or in the chapel at the morgue. In exceptional cases, this ceremony is performed at home or in a cemetery. The location of the funeral service must be discussed with the priest or other responsible person in the church.
How does the burial ceremony take place in the temple?
Before burial, the body of the deceased is covered with a special white cover - shroud- as a sign that the deceased, who belonged to the Orthodox Church and united with Christ in her holy Sacraments, is under the protection of Christ, under the protection of the Church, which until the end of time will pray for his soul. This cover is decorated with inscriptions with texts of prayers and excerpts from Holy Scripture, depicting the banner of the cross and angels. Paper whisk, with the image of Jesus Christ, the Mother of God and the Forerunner of the Lord John, with the inscription “Trisagion”, is placed on the forehead of the deceased, as a symbol of the crown of victory. The chaplet reminds us that the exploits of a Christian on earth in the fight against all suffering, temptations, seductions and passions are over, and now he expects a reward for them in the Kingdom of Heaven. Placed in hands Crucifixion(there is a special funeral type of the Crucifixion) and a prayer of permission. A small amount is placed on the hands of the deceased icon: for a man - an icon of the Savior, for a woman - an icon of the Mother of God. All necessary items can be purchased at the church store.
In the temple, the body of the deceased is placed on a special stand with its feet facing the altar, and candlesticks with lit candles are placed in a cross shape near the coffin. The coffin lid is left in the vestibule or in the courtyard. It is allowed to bring fresh flowers into the church. All worshipers have burning candles in their hands. Light is a symbol of joy and life, victory over darkness. This expression bright love to the deceased and warm prayer for him. Candles remind us of the candles we hold in Easter night, testifying to the Resurrection of Christ. They place it on a separately prepared table near the coffin. funeral celebration, with a candle in the middle. The coffin remains open until the end of the funeral service, unless there are special obstacles to this.
The priests perform the burial in white festive vestments. It also has symbolic meaning. The funeral service is the birth of the soul into eternal life. The white clothes of the priests emphasize the significance of this event.
What do they pray for during burial?
The funeral service consists of many chants. They briefly depict the entire fate of man: for the violation of the Creator’s commandments by the first people, Adam and Eve, man again turns to the ground from which he was taken, but despite the multitude of sins, he does not cease to be an image of the glory of God, and therefore the Holy Church prays to the Lord , by His ineffable mercy, forgive the deceased’s sins and honor him with the Kingdom of Heaven. If the deceased led a spiritual life, if he confessed and received communion, if he participated, at least minimally, in the life of the community, the Church can prayerfully admonish him.
At the end of the funeral service, after reading the Apostle and the Gospel, the priest reads prayer of permission. With this prayer, the deceased is allowed (freed) from the prohibitions and sins that burdened him, which he repented of or which he could not remember at Confession. Thus the deceased enters afterlife reconciled with God and neighbors. After reading, the text of the prayer is placed in the hands of the deceased.
Burial is not automatic forgiveness of sins and a guaranteed pass to heaven. Everything is in the hands of God, and ultimately He pronounces judgment on the soul based on the results of its earthly life. Nevertheless, we pray and give alms, hoping that the Creator will take into account our love and have mercy on the soul of the deceased. Having left the body, the soul begins to suffer from its own imperfections and passions. Prayers performed during burial help the soul and comfort it.
How do you say goodbye to the deceased?
After the end of the prayers, farewell to the deceased takes place. The last kiss marks the eternal union of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. Relatives and friends of the deceased bow and ask for forgiveness for involuntary offenses, kissing the icon on the chest of the deceased and the aureole on the forehead. In the case when the funeral service takes place with the coffin closed, they kiss the cross on the lid of the coffin or the priest’s hand. At the end of the funeral service, the body of the deceased is escorted to the cemetery with the singing of the Trisagion. If the priest does not accompany the coffin to the grave, then the burial takes place where the funeral service took place - in a temple or at home. With the words “The Lord’s earth and its fullness (that is, everything that fills it), the universe and everyone who lives on it,” the priest sprinkles earth in a cross shape on the veiled body of the deceased. If, before death, unction was performed on the deceased, then the remaining blessed oil It is also poured crosswise on the body.
It is necessary to arrange in advance for the priest to accompany the deceased to the cemetery.
How is the coffin lowered into the grave and what kind of monument is erected?
The deceased is usually lowered into the grave facing the east (head to the west and feet to the east) in anticipation of the Second Coming of Christ, and as a sign that the deceased is moving from the west (sunset) of life to the East of eternity. When lowering the coffin into the grave, the Trisagion is sung.
The Tombstone Cross can be made of any material, but must have an Orthodox eight-pointed shape. He is placed at the feet of the deceased, with a crucifix to the face of the deceased - so that at the general resurrection of the dead, rising from the grave, he can look at the sign of Christ’s victory over the devil. Tombstones with crosses carved on them are also erected. The cross over the grave of a Christian is a silent preacher of blessed immortality and the coming Resurrection.
What is an absentee burial and in what cases is it performed?
Previously, absentee burial was allowed by the Church only in cases where the body of the deceased was unavailable for burial: fires, floods, wars and other emergency circumstances. Nowadays, funeral services in absentia are more common. Firstly, due to the lack of churches in many cities and villages; secondly, due to the high cost of transport and other funeral services, as a result of which the relatives of a deceased Christian cannot afford to bring the body of the deceased to the temple. It is better to refuse funerals, wreaths, expensive tombstone, but make every effort and bring the body to the temple, as a last resort, call the priest home or to the cemetery. This speaks only about one thing - about the attitude of his relatives towards the deceased, who are too lazy to take the deceased to the temple. If a person loves his loved one and wants to bury him in a Christian way, then this must be done in accordance with church traditions. However, in case of desperate circumstances The church is coming meets people and, if necessary, performs the burial ceremony in absentia.
Absentee burial must take place before the funeral. In the case of an absentee burial, the placement of the necessary funeral items (icon, crucifix, aureole, scroll of paper with the text of the prayer of permission) into the coffin is done independently. You also need to take a bag of consecrated earth. The earth must be scattered over the body on top of the shroud in a cross pattern - from head to feet and from right shoulder to left before closing the coffin lid. When the funeral service in absentia takes place some time after the funeral. Then the burial soil should be scattered over the grave, and the aureole and prayer should be buried into the grave mound to a shallow depth.
Is cremation allowed in the Orthodox Church?
The creator of human soul and body is God. He is the only controller of their destiny. We should not interfere with our will in what God wants to do with our body. It can be completely destroyed, but it can also be miraculously preserved by the will of God. If Christians burned the bodies of the dead, then there would be no relics of saints in the Church.
On the other hand, throughout history the Church has prayed for the repose of the souls of those of its children whose bodies, due to various circumstances, were buried in water element, abandoned on the battlefield, burned in fire, became food for animals or fish, disappeared unknown as a result of earthquakes and various disasters. Many holy martyrs of Christ, both in ancient and recent times, did not receive Christian burial, which did not deprive them of eternal salvation and glory Kingdom of Heaven. However, in all these cases this did not happen at the request of people or their loved ones, but because of the elements or evil human will.
The funeral customs of Christians are determined by the fact that, on the basis of Divine Revelation, the Church professes faith in the bodily resurrection of the dead (Isa. 26:19; Rom. 8:11; 1 Cor. 15:42-44, 52-54; Phil. 3:21) and refers to the body of a Christian as the temple of God (1 Cor. 3:16). In the rite of Christian burial, the Church expresses the veneration due to the body of a deceased person (Fundamentals social concept Russian Orthodox Church, XII, 7).
Burying the body in the ground, as well as in coffins or caves carved into stone, corresponds to the Church’s belief that the day of general resurrection will come when the earth will spew out the dead(Isa. 26:19) and what is sown in corruption will be raised in incorruption(1 Cor. 15:42). Until then the dust will return to the earth as it was; and the spirit will return to God, who gave it(Eccl. 12:7), says the word of God. The human race in the person of the forefather Adam received the command of the Lord by the sweat of your brow... eat bread until you return to the ground from which you were taken, for dust you are and to dust you will return(Gen. 3:9).
Based on the evidence of Church Tradition, the Russian Church cannot recognize cremation as the norm for treating the bodies of deceased Christians, consistent with the faith of the Church. At the same time, the Church believes that the Lord has the power to resurrect any body and from any element (Rev. 20:13). We fear no harm in any method of burial, but adhere to the old and better custom of interring the body.", wrote the early Christian author Marcus Minucius Felix. Bearing this in mind, the Russian Orthodox Church does not deprive Christians of prayerful remembrance who, for various reasons, were not worthy of burial in accordance with church tradition.
Relatives or loved ones of the deceased must do everything to bury the body, and not cremate it. If they deliberately carry out cremation in circumstances where a Christian burial is possible, then they are committing a sin for which they will be held accountable to God.
How are baptized children under 7 years old buried?
A special procedure is performed for dead infants who have received the sacrament of Baptism, as for immaculate creatures. It does not contain prayers for the remission of sins, but there are petitions to confer upon the baby the Kingdom of Heaven according to the false promise of the Lord (Mark 10, 14). Although the baby did not perform any feats of Christian piety, but, having been cleansed in holy Baptism, original sin, became the immaculate heir of eternal life. The rite of burial of infants is replete with words of consolation to grieving parents. His chants testify to the Church’s belief that blessed babies, after death, become prayer books for all who loved them on earth. Funeral services according to this rite are performed for children under seven years of age.
On what days are burials not performed?
On the first day of Easter and on the Feast of the Nativity of Christ, the deceased are not brought into the temple and no burials are performed.
What happens to the soul after death?
According to church tradition first two days the soul still remains on earth and, with the angel accompanying it, visits those places that attract it with memories of earthly joys and sorrows, deeds of good and evil.
IN third day The Lord commands the soul to ascend to heaven to worship Himself. Then the soul, returning from the Face of God, accompanied by angels, enters the heavenly abodes and contemplates their indescribable beauty. So she remains for six days - from three to nine. On the ninth day, the Lord commands the angels to again present the soul to Him for worship. After the second worship of God, the angels take the soul to hell, and it contemplates cruel torment unrepentant sinners. IN fortieth day upon death, the soul ascends for the third time to the Throne of the Lord, where its fate is decided - the place it has been awarded for its deeds is assigned.
From this it is clear that the days of intense prayer for the dead should be third, ninth and fortieth days after death. These terms also have another meaning. The commemoration of the deceased on the third day is performed in honor of the three-day resurrection of Jesus Christ and in the image Holy Trinity. Prayer on the ninth day - honoring the nine angelic ranks who, as servants of the Heavenly King, petition for pardon for the deceased.
How to properly remember the deceased after burial?
In the Orthodox Church they pray for the dead not because they consider it possible with their power to change the posthumous fate of the deceased, but because they trust in God’s mercy towards the deceased. By praying for deceased relatives, we testify before God of our love for them, and we humbly hope that the Lord, who is Love, will accept our prayers and fulfill our petitions. At least we must always understand in our hearts that God may not fulfill our requests, and this is His holy will.
In addition to commemorating the deceased on the third, ninth and fortieth days after his death, he is commemorated on the annual day of death, birthday and name day, since the deceased is alive and immortal in spirit and will one day be completely renewed when the Lord raises his body.
In order to properly remember the deceased on a memorable day, you need to come to the temple at the beginning of the service and submit a funeral note with his name. Notes are accepted for proskomedia and memorial services. The note should be titled “On Repose”, names should be written legibly, placing them in genitive case, for example: novopr. Peter, Mary. For clergy, indicate their rank, in full or in an understandable abbreviation, for example: Metropolitan. John, Rev. Nicholas, St. Sergius, Deacon Vasily. Children under seven years of age are called infants; those who died before the fortieth day are newly deceased; on the anniversary of death - ever-memorable. Warriors are listed separately.
During the proskomedia - the first part Divine Liturgy, the priest extracts small pieces from special prosphora bread, praying for the living and the dead, given in the notes. Subsequently, after communion, these particles will be lowered into the Chalice with the Blood of Christ with prayer : “Wash away, O Lord, the sins of those who were remembered here with Your honest Blood and the prayers of Your saints.”
“Requiem” translated from Greek means “all-night singing.” Even during the era of Roman persecution, nightly prayer for the dead became a custom. The essence of the memorial service is a prayerful remembrance of the departed brothers and sisters, who, although they died faithful to Christ, did not completely renounce the weaknesses of fallen human nature and took their infirmities with them. By performing a memorial service, the Church reminds all living how the souls of the departed ascend from the earth to the Judgment of God, how they stand at this Judgment with fear and trembling, confessing their deeds before the Lord.
In addition to private commemorations of the deceased, the Holy Church established general commemorations. Thus, for prayers for the dead, a special day is designated in the week - Saturday, on which a funeral service is held, except for holidays, if they happen on this day. Days of special general remembrance of the dead are called parental Saturdays. On these days, all Christians who have died since the ages are remembered. On Saturday, as a day of rest, it is more logical to pray for the repose of the dead with the saints. And they are called parental because every person remembers, first of all, the closest people - their parents and relatives.
Meat-eating universal parent's Saturday the week before Lent;
Parental Saturdays of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th weeks of Great Lent;
Trinity Ecumenical Parental Saturday before the Day of the Holy Trinity;
Dimitrievskaya parental Saturday, a week before the holiday in memory of the Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessalonica;
Radonitsa, Tuesday of the second week after Easter;
May 9 is the day of remembrance for all those who died and tragically died during the Great Patriotic War.
The day before parenting days In the evening, Parastases are celebrated in churches - all-night vigils for the dead, and after the Liturgy there are ecumenical memorial services.
In addition to participating in funeral services, the Holy Church commands its children to remember the departed at home prayer. Here, each worshiper is given some freedom to demonstrate personal zeal.
In addition to prayer for the departed, another act of remembering them is almsgiving. Almsgiving means not only giving to the poor in memory of the deceased, but any kindness towards those in need. Saint John Chrysostom said: A luxurious burial is not love for the deceased, but vanity. If you want to sympathize with the deceased, I will show you another method of burial and teach you to lay out vestments, decorations worthy of him and glorifying him: this is alms.
The simplest and most common way of sacrificing for the deceased is to offer a candle. Each temple has a kanun - a special candlestick in the form of a rectangular table with many cells for candles and a small crucifix. It is here that candles are placed with a prayer for repose, funeral services are held here and funeral service in absentia. Also, for commemoration, they bring some food to the temple and put it on the eve.
However, in order to help the soul of a loved one, we ourselves must come to God. We must live according to His commandments, communicate with Him in prayer, ask Him for mercy, including for the soul we want to help. God accepts everyone who turns to Him. So, there is no reason for despair; on the contrary, we still have time to do the necessary things that can help the souls of deceased relatives and friends.
How to organize a wake in accordance with Orthodox tradition?
After the burial, as well as on the 9th, 40th days and anniversary, after prayer in the church at home, memorial meals are held. The meal should begin with prayer for the deceased. The table set should correspond to the day. If it is a fast day, then the meal should be fast. For funeral meal fun and excess in dishes and drinks are excluded. Alcohol should be consumed in moderation, preferably wine rather than spirits. Traditional in Rus' funeral dishes Kutia, pancakes and jelly are considered. During Lent, it is better to arrange a funeral on Saturday or Sunday.
Is it worth taking children with you to funerals and memorial services?
It is necessary to comply with the character of the child and his age. It makes sense for a child to be present at the funeral ceremony when he is already able to comprehend what is happening. The child must be protected from the wrong perception of death. He must see that our nature is passionate, perishable and mortal. And in the funeral service for the deceased, we should see another lesson, for ourselves and for our children. This great lesson is that the newly deceased shows by his example what will happen to us. And this gives all people present at the funeral the opportunity to once again think about the frailty of their existence, about in true sense life, about the vector of your development.
It is wrong that they are now hiding death from children. First, they get scared because they feel that something important is being hidden from them. When adults say: “Grandfather is no more, and you don’t need to see this,” and they themselves cry, for a child the concept of “death” becomes horror. And, of course, he does not perceive it as part of life or birth into Eternity. He begins to perceive death as a catastrophe. But he will have to face it many times in his life, and not only with someone else’s, but also with preparation for his own death. And those false ideas that his parents imposed on him in childhood, when they hid the deceased from him, will have a very bad effect on him. mental state. Besides, Orthodox worship The burial is filled with consolation and bright joy and instills peace in the heart, and therefore it cannot frighten a child who is already able to understand what is happening. In this case, the child can only attend part of the service and funeral.
How much does a funeral cost?
When performing a funeral, the priest, choir and church ministers work, and therefore it is fair to make a donation for these works. At the same time, in the Church there are no special tariffs for performing services, but only the voluntary donation of relatives and friends for the performance of a church sacrament or ritual. The size of the sacrifice is determined by the capabilities and diligence of people.
19.11.2013As part of the discussion of the draft document “On the Christian burial of the dead,” questions arose about funeral services at home. How common is this practice now? What is the difference between holding a funeral service for the deceased in a church or at home? In what cases is a home funeral acceptable? Our survey contains the opinions of priests from Moscow, Blagoveshchensk, Stavropol, Saransk and Gubkin.
Hegumen Silouan (Tumanov), cleric of Feodorovsky cathedral(Saransk):
- In this issue, as in many others, theory comes into conflict with established practice. Whether it is acceptable or not, in many regions, for example in Mordovia and the Nizhny Novgorod region, the vast majority of funeral services today are performed at home. This practice has been strengthened in Soviet years when there were few churches and secular authorities interfered with the funeral service.
On the one hand, the texts of the funeral service do not talk about the obligatory presence of the deceased in the temple. They remind the relatives gathered at the tomb about the worthy life of the deceased, the promises of Christ and the general resurrection; on the other hand, burial as a sacrament of a person’s transition to eternal life is more appropriate to perform in the presence of the entire community, in the temple that the deceased regularly visited for prayer.
Personally, I am a supporter of the funeral service in the church - it is more reasonable and natural for a Christian to be buried in the church in which he prayed during his lifetime.
Archpriest Vladimir Vigilyansky, rector of the Church of the Holy Martyr Tatiana at Moscow State University named after M.V. Lomonosov:
- In the entire history of serving in the Church of the Martyr Tatiana, I have never had the opportunity to perform a funeral service at home. There were cases when funeral services had to be performed in “ritual halls” at hospital morgues, and several times in cemetery chapels. Most often this happened due to organizational and financial difficulties that relatives faced (for example, due to traffic jams in Moscow, and also due to the fact that there is no parking for a hearse near the temple). We had to delve into these details of our life and meet the requests of the parishioners.
Formally, unfortunately, there are no prohibitions on funeral services either in these halls, or in the chapel, or even at home. However, it is better to perform this service in the temple of God - in Moscow, for example, there are many churches with parking lots and not far from cemeteries. This issue, of course, needs to be clarified in the discussed draft document on the funeral service.
Archpriest Dimitry Karpenko, rector of the Church of the Holy Apostle James, Brother of God (Gubkin):
− Funeral services at home happen quite often, and there are a number of reasons for this. One of them is that people simply do not have enough money to bring the body of the deceased to the temple, or there is no such opportunity, for example, if a person died in a village where there is no temple, and to take him somewhere far away for one reason or another difficult. Priests often encounter this, although, of course, in more or less large settlements there are churches or chapels in city cemeteries, where funeral services for the majority of the dead are usually held.
Of course, ideally, the funeral service should take place in a church and, preferably, in the one of which the deceased person was a parishioner.
Funeral services at home may also be due to the fact that people specifically do not want to waste time (although there are funds). This comes from a lack of churchliness. When regular parishioners die, the question never arises of where exactly the person’s funeral service will be held: only in the church.
Since we do not have criteria by which we could refuse people a church burial (let’s say the deceased person never went to church, did not confess, did not receive communion, but after baptism he is formally a member of the Church), we cannot refuse people and in a home funeral. Moreover, for the relatives of the deceased, sometimes the funeral service becomes the first church service at which they attend.
I repeat, it is better to perform the funeral service in a church, but it depends on what it takes, and we cannot miss this opportunity: it is very important for the priest to feel the situation, to find the right words when communicating with the relatives of the deceased, in order, together with words of condolences, to try to win people over to the need for church life for themselves.
Priest Svyatoslav Shevchenko, clergyman of the Annunciation Cathedral (Blagoveshchensk):
- During the entire time that I was a city priest, I had to perform a funeral service at home only twice: once at the invitation of the Armenian diaspora, and the second time in a large gypsy family. That is, today in large cities there is practically no seeing off the deceased at home. In my opinion, this is only relevant for rural areas, where home funerals are either part of village traditions, or there is simply no church nearby.
In the city, this ritual is performed mainly in ritual halls at morgues or in churches. Often, ritual halls become the final refuge of the deceased due to the lack of churching of relatives. And this is a kind of act of condescension of the Church to the weakness of compatriots who are influenced by the secular world. And priests, following the example of the ancient apostles, go beyond the church fence to preach the word of God near the body of the deceased.
It is difficult for me to understand clergy who deny Christian burial to baptized Orthodox Christians, who were rare guests in the church. I am sure that there is a large share of our priestly guilt in this, that after the Sacrament of Baptism we were unable, either by word or by personal example, to convince people to love God and His Church.
Priest Evgeny Shishkin, cleric of the St. Andrew's Bishop's Metochion (Stavropol):
− The practice of funeral services at home is acceptable and justified when locality there is no temple or bringing the body of the deceased to the temple is associated with significant inconvenience. A classic example of such a situation is the period of persecution of the Church. In fact, funeral services at home became established in Russian parish practice precisely during the Soviet period, when many believers sought not to attract the attention of outsiders to their participation in the life of the Church.
Currently, the custom of performing funeral services at home, as a rule, is preserved by inertia, and for the most part in cities. However, if the arrival of a priest for a funeral in a remote village, where all services are already performed “at home,” looks quite appropriate, then big city the need for such practice is not at all obvious. It is dictated, rather, by considerations of comfort and consumer psychology: a funeral service is perceived as a kind of “church service”, which will be much more convenient to receive “with home delivery”. However, a funeral service is not a service provided by a priest, but congregational prayer those who see off a loved one on their last journey. That is why it must take place in the temple.
Notice what an amazing unity in prayer occurs when the entire community gathers at the tomb of church people, deeply religious parishioners, whom everyone knew and loved during their lifetime. If the deceased was a regular parishioner of a church, it is better to have his funeral service in the church where he himself always prayed; for other cases, most large cities have cemetery churches. A funeral service at home should be performed in the presence of any special circumstances, as an exception.
Prepared by Olga Bogdanova
especially for the portal "Parishes"
The Bible says that every Christian should approach God through prayer. It is believed that this is how a person asks for help and blessings in all endeavors. We pray when we fall asleep and when we wake up, before eating and at working hours. The sacrament of the birth and baptism of a child is accompanied by singing, and the marriage is accompanied by a wedding. Therefore, when a loved one dies, his relatives also indulge in prayer. They do not know what the deceased was thinking about, what secrets he was hiding, and whether he repented of his sins. Prayer helps his soul find peace, receive repentance, be forgiven and enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
To accompany the deceased on his final journey, relatives must observe all the canons, the main one of which is the prayer order. A funeral service is a solemn ceremony that takes place during the burial of a body. Such a ritual cannot be compared either with a minute of silence or with the purchase of ritual accessories. A funeral service performed with good intentions brings great benefits to the soul of a deceased person, as well as to his living relatives and friends. It is not uncommon for people to pass away at a young age: children, spouses, sisters and brothers. The fact that they did not die a natural death seems unfair to us. Prayer helps us realize that death is the next step to eternal life. By performing a funeral service for a person, we find consolation for our own grief. It also gives each of us the opportunity to take a different look at our lives, realize our mistakes and remember that we came into this world with the goal of doing good.
Why is the funeral service held?
When we read prayers for a deceased person, we hope that God will hear us. With the words “Rest the soul of your servant, O Christ, with the saints,” we call him to us. The funeral ceremony is an important part of the mourning ritual. To pass it with honor, it is not enough to stand with flowers in the cemetery. It is important to begin preparations for the procession with the communion of the dying person. Of course, if this is possible. When a person is near death, the priest reads the canon, which allows the soul to strengthen in consciousness. After death, a memorial service is performed - a short prayer, and then the funeral ceremony itself. Over the next 40 days, relatives read the psalter and remember the good deeds of the deceased.
Does the soul go to heaven after the funeral service?
There are seven known sacraments of the church: Baptism, Confirmation, Repentance, Marriage, Communion, Anointing, and Priesthood. Any of these sacraments is a guarantee of the fulfillment of what we ask God for. For example, the sacrament of Baptism gives us the right to assert that a person joined the church and became a Christian, the sacrament of the Priesthood - that he accepted the rank of priest, the sacrament of marriage - that a man and a woman linked their destiny, becoming one. The funeral service is not part of the sacrament. It does not give loved ones a guarantee that the soul of a deceased person will go to heaven and find eternal peace.
We must understand that it is worth doing only good deeds. A person does not have the right, for example, to serve in a temple and lead a dissolute lifestyle, or indulge in alcohol or drugs. After the funeral service, in this case, what happened in the famous parable may happen: at the entrance to heaven, the rich man was returned all the money that he donated for the construction of churches. Thus, there is a belief that you can receive special grace if you wash the floors in the temple. However, it is worth understanding that this is unlikely to save the cleaning lady after death. Having a lot of money and doing the only good deed in your life does not mean being forgiven and going to heaven after death.
Is a funeral ceremony necessary?
A funeral service will not save the soul from the sins that a person committed during his lifetime. There are known cases when priests neglected this rite. They ordered the relatives of the deceased to postpone funeral procession with honors, and instead throw the dead body into a hole or ditch for stray dogs to gnaw on its bones. It is worth mentioning here about righteous prophet Verkolsky. His death from a lightning strike was hasty. Fellow villagers, in front of whose eyes this happened, considered it heavenly punishment. They did not bury the body, covering the dead prophet with brushwood. After 28 years, people discovered that all this time the body was incorruptible.
A human soul can go to heaven without observing the funeral service. However, you should not take this ritual lightly. The funeral service is the last good deed that we can do for the deceased. Today, many families are unwilling to indulge in prayers due to ignorance and misconception, as well as additional financial costs. To a deceased person in old age who lived recent years your life, asking God for forgiveness and wanting to quickly go to him, it’s unlikely that anything will come of it. But for a family that does not sing it in order to save money, such an action can be regarded as a serious sin.
It is possible to exclude the funeral service at a funeral in some cases. An example is the death of a warrior in battle or a sailor on a ship. Then the person’s body is buried not far from the place of his death, and the funeral ceremony is carried out by relatives after this. If, due to other circumstances, the body of a person close to you was not buried according to Christian traditions, you can explain this to the priest and conduct the ceremony in a cemetery or church. It is unacceptable to perform a funeral service after a funeral just because it is convenient for the relatives of the deceased.
How to obtain permission to perform a ceremony?
If a person died a natural or violent death, permission to conduct a funeral service is not necessary. It must be obtained in controversial cases where suicide occurs. If the suicide was the result of a severe psychological disorder, approval must be obtained from the diocesan administration. Parish priest should not make such a decision on his own. This is done by the bishop at a general meeting.
Who should not have a funeral service after death?
As was said earlier, it is impossible to perform the funeral service over the deceased who committed suicide, as well as over the bodies of those people who lived a godless life: they were addicted to promiscuous sexual relations, robbed and killed. The ritual is unacceptable for the deceased who were not Christians during their lifetime or who renounced their faith. It is believed that they did not rejoin the Church. The opinion that after death it is impossible to perform a funeral service for women who died during childbirth is not true.
If people close to you, relatives or friends, have deliberately refused the sacrament of Baptism, it is necessary to have conversations with them in order to avoid such an outcome. This way you will know that you did everything you could for them. The rest depends on the will of the person himself. The Lord has many abodes. Therefore, the Church does not prohibit praying for the peace of the soul and forgiveness of the grave sins of a deceased person who was not baptized. This can be done at home, in a cemetery or in a temple.
Is it possible to hold a funeral ceremony for drug addicts?
People who abused alcohol or drugs during their lifetime deliberately chose this path. However, it is worth understanding that the Church forgives and accepts those who have strayed from the righteous path. Its goal is not to destroy, but to, if possible, justify a person. Therefore, relatives of the deceased who suffer from drug or alcohol addiction can have a funeral service.
Rules of conduct at the funeral service
People don't knowledgeable about the nuances church service, during the funeral service they often behave inappropriately. For example, they face not the altar, but coffin, and throughout the entire service they look not at the priest, but at the deceased. Of course, it is difficult for relatives to accept the loss of a loved one. Therefore, at such moments one should not demand that they observe all the canons. However, no one has canceled the basic rules of conduct during funeral services.
Those who come to the temple must sincerely pray for the forgiveness of the sins of the deceased, listen carefully to the priest and look at the altar. Close relatives should have candles in their hands. The coffin is placed facing the altar. During the funeral service, it is not appropriate to talk loudly or actively gesticulate. Silence must be maintained. After the ceremony, the candles are extinguished, and the mourners bow, ask the deceased for forgiveness for all offenses, and kiss the icon that is on his chest. The priest then takes it out and covers the body with a veil.
It is not advisable to conduct the funeral ceremony in a morgue, much less in a crematorium. The funeral service for the deceased is performed in the morgue only in cases where there is no other opportunity to perform the ceremony. In this case, before starting it, make sure that the priest has permission to carry it out. If the funeral service takes place in a church and several dead people are brought at once, then this should not bother you.
What to wear to the temple?
The priests who perform the funeral service wear a long white cassock to the temple. It is also used during the sacrament of Baptism. It is believed that these two events are the main ones in the life of every person. After death, the deceased enters the path of eternal life, at the beginning of which he sees a bright light. This light is the Lord God himself. Myrrh-bearing women also put on clothes white. Temple servants should not wear black clothing.
Those who come, on the contrary, wear mourning clothes, which should be closed and modest. For women, long-cut dresses and skirts are appropriate. The head is covered with a black scarf. You cannot wear bright jewelry. The only jewelry allowed is watches and wedding ring. The best option for men - a classic suit, shirt and shoes. This custom is not Christian, but it is firmly entrenched in modern life. We perceive death as a tragedy. And if someone comes to the service in a white robe, he will not be understood by the relatives of the deceased.
All of the above features of observing the rules for conducting funeral services for the deceased are of course important, but, most importantly, you must always remember that performing the last rites is an integral part of the funeral ritual both for the soul of the deceased and for believing relatives who are seeing off a loved one to another world."
