Funeral Arrangements

   

Planning a funeral or memorial service for a loved one can be quite overwhelming.  It is important to us, the staff at Santiago, to help you make these arrangements with as much knowledge and the least amount of stress possible. 

 

Every baptised Catholic has the rite to a Catholic Funeral

 

Mortuary 

The first thing to consider is the mortuary whom you will be entrusting the body of your loved one to.  There are five mortuaries that service this area, listed alphabetically:

At the mortuary you will meet your funeral director who will accompany you through every part of the service you plan, from the Vigil (Rosary), the Funeral Mass, to the Cemetery for interment.   

 

Cemetery

While there are several cemeteries in Orange County to choose from, there are only two that our priests travel to for the concluding graveside service following the Funeral Mass:

 

Ascension (Catholic Cemetery)

24754 Trabuco Road

Lake Forest, CA  92630

949-837-9013

&

El Toro Memorial Park 

 25751 Trabuco Road

Lake Forest, CA  92630

949-951-8244

 

If you have made arrangements to inter your loved one at a different cemetery, either your funeral director from the mortuary, or the staff at the cemetery will secure a local catholic priest to perform the graveside service.

 

Church

Either you or your funeral director will need to contact the church office to arrange the date and time for the Funeral / Memorial Mass.  Once the date, time, and priest are scheduled, a member of our Bereavement Ministry will contact you for a home visit.  The purpose of this visit is to discuss the readings, music, and details of the funeral.  Your Bereavement Team will also come to the mortuary for the Vigil and lead the Rosary if requested.  

 

Frequently Asked Questions 

 

Q:  What is the difference between a Memorial Mass and a Funeral Mass?

A:  A Funeral Mass has the body (either in the closed casket or the cremains in a sealed urn) present during the Mass.

 

Q:  Do we have to have a Rosary / Vigil to have a catholic funeral?

A:  No.  There are many different options available to you.  Of course, we always encourage you to respect the wishes of your deceased loved one.  Most embrace the idea of a Vigil because there will only be opportunity during the Funeral for one person to deliver a five-minute Eulogy.  The Vigil is your opportunity to open the floor up to those who want to share their stories about your loved one.  Also, with funerals usually being during a weekday morning, some guests can only make it to the Vigil to pay their respects.  It is common for the Rosary to be prayed at the beginning of the Vigil as a prayerful lead into the recognition of his/her Christian life.

 

Q:  Will the priest be at the mortuary for the Vigil?

A:  No.  The Vigil is a Liturgy of the Word service.  Your Bereavement Team will be there to lead the Rosary if desired, and to organize the evening's events. 

 

Q:  It is important for our family to have a viewing.  Will we be able to have the casket open during the Funeral Mass?

A:  The casket is to remain closed for the actual Funeral Mass.  The time for the viewing is at the Vigil the night before at the mortuary, or in some instances arrangements can be made for a private family viewing a half hour before the funeral starts (this would need to be pre-arranged with your Bereavement Team and Funeral Directors).

 

Q:  Is it acceptable for a Catholic to be cremated?

A:  Yes.  The Church's definite preference is for burial of the body.  However, since 1963 cremation has been permitted, although at that time the cremated remains were not allowed to be present during the Funeral Mass.  In 1997 the Vatican gave the bishops of the United States permission to allow the celebration of the Funeral Mass with the cremated remains present with the permission of the local bishop.  We have a lot of Funeral Masses with the cremains present in the urn.  We ask the family to provide a large picture of the deceased to display by the urn so their presence can truly be felt.

 

Q:  Do we have to inter the ashes at the cemetery, or can we scatter them at sea, keep them at home, etc.?

A:  Respectful final dispostition of cremated remains involves interment or entombment.  The practice of scattering cremated remains on the sea, from the air, or on the ground, or keeping cremated remains in the home of a relative or friend of the deceased are not the reverent disposition that the Church requires.

 

Q:  Can I have the body present in a casket at the Funeral Mass and have it cremated after the funeral?

A:  Yes.  We ask that you make arrangements for the graveside service as soon as possible to properly inter the ashes in accordinance with the teachings of the Catholic Church.

 

For assistance with planning a funeral please call

Kathy Goebel, the Parish Secretary, at 949-951-8599.