If you have lost a loved one, please accept our profound condolences. If the death is impending or has already occurred, this page is meant to guide you through the steps to take.

A community of faith in the resurrection

The Christian community, above all, has faith in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. When we celebrate a funeral, we celebrate God's faithfulness to Jesus and to us. Our faith does not exempt us from the grieving process, a normal and natural response to death. It does, however, give us a perception of death that carries hope, even in great sadness.

What to do . . .

Prayers

If your loved one is seriously ill and still conscious, please call us so that we might administer the Sacrament of the Sick.
If your loved one is no longer conscious and death expected soon, if we available, we would be happy to pray with the family and friends for the dying person.

Wake and Funeral

If your loved one has died, please call the parish so that we can begin to make preparations for the wake and funeral. If you have not already called a funeral home, do so to make arrangements with them as well. They will then call us to firm up dates and times for the wake, the funeral mass and the interment. The Church encourages us to include all three elements of liturgy (wake, funeral and interment) when we are saying our last farewell to someone. You might want to meet with a priest to choose suitable reading, discuss who will do the readings and share some insight into the person who has passed away.

The question of Eulogies . . .

The Roman Catholic Church and the Diocese of Hamilton has ask that we not have eulogies during the funeral mass. We encourage anyone who wishes to share her/his personal reflections about the deceased at the funeral home visitation or some other suitable time for the family.

Loved one not a Catholic?

We would be happy to celebrate a funeral mass for non-catholic Christians, especially those whose relatives are Roman Catholics.

Music and Servers

St. Raphael's offers a funeral choir at the funeral mass for those who wish to avail themselves to that service. We also have servers for the mass.

Reception after Mass or Interment

There is also a committee who will be happy to serve a reception in our church hall after the family has made arrangements with a caterer. We'd be happy to recommend caterers if you need some assistance. The caterers provide the food ; the committee sets the hall up and serves the food.

For more information:  contact your parish priest.