For the second time in my life, I had the privilege of serving as MC for a Requiem Mass in the Extraordinary Form today, that wasn't All Souls Day or a regular daily Mass for the Dead.  For those faithful who have yet to have the opportunity to attend one of these, I highly recommend you keep your ear to the ground and find one to go to.  "Get prayed up" as they say, or as many religious do on a daily basis, keep death near.  There is something about that tolling church bell at the beginning of the ceremony that still brings me to tears, and for someone I didn't even know.

Here is a few pics of the Requiem Mass.  Though this is not my church, it looked very similar.

https://stjosaphat.wordpress.com/2010/10/13/extraordinary-form-requiem-mass-at-st-paul-on-the-lake-1022010/

Pie Jesu Domine,
Dona eis requiem.
Pie Jesu Domine,
Dona eis requiem sempiternam.

Congrats Op on the honor. I will look for one soon. Such a Blessed service to be at. And the church is incredible. Thanks for the photos.

Roger that! Good for you to have such a great opportunity. Awesome pics. Thanks for sharing them.

Splendid.
Marvellous.

You sound like me--as I've buried many a Catholic member of the families over the decades--my eyes water up a lot at these services.

...and, being from an "old ethnic neighborhood and ethnic parish," it has always choked me up as we leave the Church with the earthly remains of a loved one to hear the Priest or Deacon chant the recital in Polish...German..Czech...

"...may the angels in heaven...welcome you into Paradise..."



goin' home...goin' home....

Truly awesome. Thank you for sharing.

My pastor made a good point about requiem masses in his homily last Sunday. He said to make sure you request it in your will that you have a Catholic requiem mass because he has seen pius individuals who attended mass daily denied any funeral mass because their family just didn't care.

Yes, I have heard the stories.  I think that may have come up here on Arf, or possibly some other online group I was a part of.  In that family's case, one of the children was an anti-Catholic and causing trouble, even though it was in the will of the deceased.

Of course, the opposite can be just as scandalizing.  Where someone who has long had a reputation for not living a very Catholic life, suddenly gets a full Requiem, even at a parish they didn't attend, ever.  That's when you have to put full trust in your priest that they are making the right decision.