The following decree issued by Bishop McManus is published in this week's issue of The Catholic Free Press.
In Nomine Domini. Amen
The Order of Funerals was promulgated in 1969 by Pope Paul VI. In 1989 the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops approved and published The Order of Christian Funerals for use in the all the dioceses of the United States.
The Order of Christian Funerals presents the Funeral as celebrated in three moments or stations each with its own location or place. Accordingly, there are three parts for the Christian Funeral Rites: 1) the Vigil for the Deceased, which takes place the night before the Funeral Liturgy; 2) the Funeral Liturgy, which may be a Funeral Mass or a Funeral Liturgy outside Mass; and 3) the Rite of Committal. All three Stations of the Funeral Rites are intricately connected to each other and together form the whole Order of Christian Funerals.
In the years subsequent to the publication of The Order of Christian Funerals the world and the Church have experienced several cultural shifts. These shifts have sometimes presented anomalies which conflict with how the Church understands the dignity of the human person and in particular how the Church understands and ritually celebrates the death of a member of the Church.
One of the liturgical anomalies that has emerged over the past few years is the practice of having a visitation in the church either immediately preceding the Funeral Mass or in some cases the day before in place of the funeral home. This practice, while convenient, ignores the desire of the Church that each moment of the Funeral Liturgy be celebrated at its appropriate station. In addition, in recent years the wake or visitation comes with a boisterous social atmosphere, including speaking and visiting with the family that is not appropriate to the sacred space of the church and in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament.
The vigil, by definition, is celebrated the night before, so the vigil prayers will be prayed then by the priest or deacon even if there is no public visitation. In such cases, it would be fitting at least for the immediate family members to join the priest or deacon in the vigil prayers.
In addition, the custom has grown whereby pictures are set up and videos of the person’s life are shown. While an important as part of the grieving process, these too are more suitable for the funeral home or family home and not for the sacred space of the church.
As of November 2, 2026, visitation or wakes will not be permitted in the parish church. This holds particularly to the day of the funeral Mass. The exception to this particular law will be the funerals of Bishops, Priests, Deacons and Religious men and women as well as those situations for which the Bishop may grant dispensation.
The family and friends of the deceased are encouraged to gather at the funeral home for the wake and Vigil Service and again prior to the Funeral Mass. In fact, the Order of Christian Funerals has a brief prayer service called Transfer of the Body to the Church or to the Place of Committal which can be celebrated the morning of the funeral in the home or funeral home.
Since a priest or deacon is not usually available at the funeral home to lead this prayer service immediately prior to the funeral liturgy in the church, these prayers at the funeral home may be offered by the funeral director, a member of the parish staff, or a relative or friend of the deceased.
If the architecture of the parish church can accommodate this, and it is not possible to gather in the home or funeral home the morning of the funeral, the gathering for the transfer of the deceased into the church may take place in the narthex of the church.
The casket with the body of the deceased or the urn with the cremated remains is then brought in procession into the church. The symbolism of this procession of bringing the body of the deceased into the church is a reminder of when the deceased person first entered the Church. Upon arrival at the church entrance, the casket or urn is sprinkled with holy water as a reminder of the waters of baptism. The casket is then covered with a white pall or cloth as a reminder of the baptismal garment that symbolizes putting on the new life in Christ.
In view of the above, I, the Most Reverend Robert J. McManus, Bishop of the Diocese of Worcester, Massachusetts, and in accord with canon 391 of the Code of Canon Law, issue the following as particular law for the Diocese of Worcester. This particular law is effective November 2, 2026, the Commemoration of All Souls. I order that this decree be published. Given at Worcester, Massachusetts, the twenty-third day of October, in the Year of Our Lord, two thousand twenty-six, in the Halls of the Chancery Office.
Most Reverend Robert J. McManus
DECREE
In Nomine Domini. Amen
On the Proper Celebration of Funeral Rites in the Diocese of Worcester
The Order of Funerals was promulgated in 1969 by Pope Paul VI. In 1989 the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops approved and published The Order of Christian Funerals for use in the all the dioceses of the United States.
The Order of Christian Funerals presents the Funeral as celebrated in three moments or stations each with its own location or place. Accordingly, there are three parts for the Christian Funeral Rites: 1) the Vigil for the Deceased, which takes place the night before the Funeral Liturgy; 2) the Funeral Liturgy, which may be a Funeral Mass or a Funeral Liturgy outside Mass; and 3) the Rite of Committal. All three Stations of the Funeral Rites are intricately connected to each other and together form the whole Order of Christian Funerals.
In the years subsequent to the publication of The Order of Christian Funerals the world and the Church have experienced several cultural shifts. These shifts have sometimes presented anomalies which conflict with how the Church understands the dignity of the human person and in particular how the Church understands and ritually celebrates the death of a member of the Church.
One of the liturgical anomalies that has emerged over the past few years is the practice of having a visitation in the church either immediately preceding the Funeral Mass or in some cases the day before in place of the funeral home. This practice, while convenient, ignores the desire of the Church that each moment of the Funeral Liturgy be celebrated at its appropriate station. In addition, in recent years the wake or visitation comes with a boisterous social atmosphere, including speaking and visiting with the family that is not appropriate to the sacred space of the church and in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament.
The vigil, by definition, is celebrated the night before, so the vigil prayers will be prayed then by the priest or deacon even if there is no public visitation. In such cases, it would be fitting at least for the immediate family members to join the priest or deacon in the vigil prayers.
In addition, the custom has grown whereby pictures are set up and videos of the person’s life are shown. While an important as part of the grieving process, these too are more suitable for the funeral home or family home and not for the sacred space of the church.
As of November 2, 2026, visitation or wakes will not be permitted in the parish church. This holds particularly to the day of the funeral Mass. The exception to this particular law will be the funerals of Bishops, Priests, Deacons and Religious men and women as well as those situations for which the Bishop may grant dispensation.
The family and friends of the deceased are encouraged to gather at the funeral home for the wake and Vigil Service and again prior to the Funeral Mass. In fact, the Order of Christian Funerals has a brief prayer service called Transfer of the Body to the Church or to the Place of Committal which can be celebrated the morning of the funeral in the home or funeral home.
Since a priest or deacon is not usually available at the funeral home to lead this prayer service immediately prior to the funeral liturgy in the church, these prayers at the funeral home may be offered by the funeral director, a member of the parish staff, or a relative or friend of the deceased.
If the architecture of the parish church can accommodate this, and it is not possible to gather in the home or funeral home the morning of the funeral, the gathering for the transfer of the deceased into the church may take place in the narthex of the church.
The casket with the body of the deceased or the urn with the cremated remains is then brought in procession into the church. The symbolism of this procession of bringing the body of the deceased into the church is a reminder of when the deceased person first entered the Church. Upon arrival at the church entrance, the casket or urn is sprinkled with holy water as a reminder of the waters of baptism. The casket is then covered with a white pall or cloth as a reminder of the baptismal garment that symbolizes putting on the new life in Christ.
In view of the above, I, the Most Reverend Robert J. McManus, Bishop of the Diocese of Worcester, Massachusetts, and in accord with canon 391 of the Code of Canon Law, issue the following as particular law for the Diocese of Worcester. This particular law is effective November 2, 2026, the Commemoration of All Souls. I order that this decree be published. Given at Worcester, Massachusetts, the twenty-third day of October, in the Year of Our Lord, two thousand twenty-six, in the Halls of the Chancery Office.
Most Reverend Robert J. McManus