Can someone help me with RC Funeral please.

[Tiredemma]

My dear Mum passed away last tuesday.

Yesterday we set about arranging the funeral and the church that we chose informed us that we cannot have Secular music at all.
I know some Hymns that my Mum loved ('How Great Thou Art being one of them). I suppose it would be easier for me to just slam on the Celine Dion but obviously this isnt possible. Could you kindly point me in the right direction of some nice (and appropriate) music for the service. I need to get this right.

Thanks in advance for your help.

I'm sorry for your loss. We had Amazing Grace, I watch the Sunrise, How Great thou Art & Faith of our Father's at my dad's requiem & John Denver at the crem. I think Old rugged cross is a good option considering that it's Lent - the priest will guide you through. I hope it goes as well as possible for you.

The Old Rugged Cross shouldn't be frowned upon, I've sung it before at family funerals and my brothers a priest and Dad's a funeral director so one of them would almost certainly have mentioned it if there was an issue.

I like Abide With Me, I watch the sunrise and Be still for the presence of the lord.

Lord of all hopefulness
The day thou gavest Lord has ended?

Unless there is something specific you would like played as you enter/exit the church, I would leave the choice of that music to the organist. They will have a huge amount of suitable music for that. (I speak as an organist of many years).

Two hymns are usually standard for a funeral service. That, along with the mass, is long enough, in my experience. You've had some lovely suggestions here. The priest will do everything he can to make this as easy for you as possible, including explaining the way that everything is done. I have played for quite a number of RC funerals, although I am not RC myself, and the priest was always incredibly helpful in making sure that I knew what was going on.

I think we had The Old Rugged Cross too.

If in doubt try Salvation Army music...if nothing else it was of my parents generation. And familiar.

Lord of all hopefulness is lovely.

If she attended church regularly it might be worth asking her church friends if she ever mentioned any, I know quite a few people that go through the hymn list at the start of mass and be like 'ooh I love that one' 'ugh no that one again' etc.

At dd's funeral we had
I watch the sunrise
Be not afraid
As I kneel before you
She left the chapel to walk with me.
The priest should be able to help you make the right choices for your mum.
Sorry for your loss

Two hymns are usually standard for a funeral service.

For a service yes. For a full requiem mass you will need at least 4 (entrance, offertory, communion, leaving)

Thank you all.

We chose the following-

Entering church to Ave Maria (Schubert)

1. How Great Thou Art
2. The Old Rugged Cross
3. Make Me A Channel of Your Peace
4. I Watch the Sunrise

I want something as nice as Ave Maria for her to exit he church to- (will be played on cd).
Any suggestions for this? I wanted Celtic Song of Farewell but can only find it as a video link on youtube

Your hymn choices are wonderful.

I can find the Celtic Song of Farewell as an MP3 download on Amazon if that helps - although the head of music at my church would have a litter of kittens if someone asked to use an iPod. Far too technically advanced for our church.

would she just arrive and exit to organ music?

Probably neither. The priest will meet the coffin at the church door and aniont/bless it - the thing with the water shaker (sorry can't remember the proper name).

But for music that is not a hymn there are some lovely requiem pieces.

A few here with you tube clips www.theimaginativeconservative.org/2016/01/ten-greatest-requiem-masses.html

Pie Jesu has been done a few times recently as a short 3-5 min recording.

Hi OP. Sorry for your loss. A really beautiful and appropriate piece to play on CD for exiting the church would be 'In paradisum' from Faure's Requiem. Here's a youtube link

It's from the most beautiful requiem mass (so a funeral piece) and means 'in paradise'.

The dark island? If you want a Celtic theme