Expert: Tom Schott - 11/2/2006

Question
Dear Tom,

I am a funeral director / embalmer and also a Catholic.  In reading the
obituaries in my Diocesan newspaper, I've noticed that it will
sometimes say, "A Funeral Mass was said for John Doe..." and other times will
say, "A Mass of Christian Burial was said for John Doe..."  Is there any
difference between these two?  I would like to be sure I am accurate
when I write obituaries for my Catholic families that will appear in the
secular newspapers.  Also, besides these two, a "Mass of Angels" is the
only other variation I am aware of.  As I understand, this is for
deceased children, correct?  If so, what is the age limit and/or other
requirements for this Mass?  Thanks very much.  Mike


Answer
Hi Mike,

 Mass of Christian Burial and Funeral Mass are the same thing; the former description is preferred. The Mass of Angels is a bit more problematic: It is what we would call "popular religiosity." This would be a funeral mass said for an unborn, stillborn, or aborted baby . . . for a miscarriage, or even for a very young infant who has died. This is an avenue for people to grieve these events, but it is not connected to any special liturgy of the church, i.e., is not in the Sacramentary. Nonetheless the description of it as "mass of the angels" has made its way into popular usage.

Hope this helps.

Deacon Tom