The sacred ceremonies and rites which from most ancient times the Catholic Church has used in the burial of her children, commend themselves to the faithful as really mysteries of religion, signs of Christian piety, and most saving suffrages for the faithful departed.
The faithful can be interred only in consecrated ground, and frequent prayers are offered for those there interred, besides those used at the funeral.
None, therefore, should view so solemn a service as a mere pomp: it is at once an honor to the body, which has been a recipient of the sacraments of the Church, and which will one day arise, and a service of prayer for the soul that it may be freed from any temporal punishment deserved by it.
The Priest, in a surplice and black stole, attended by acolytes with tapers, sprinkles the body with holy water, and intones the Antiphon.
Ant. If thou, O Lord. Ant. Si iniquitates. PSALM cxxix. De profundis (see p. 855).
Ant. Si iniquitates observaveris, Domine; Domine, quis sustinebit? 
Ant. If thou, O Lord, shalt mark iniquities; Lord, who shall stand it? (Where the funeral proceeds from the house, the preceding is all said by the Priest before the body comes forth), and then he intones the following:
Ant. Exultabunt Domino ossa humiliata. Ant. The bones that were humbled shall rejoice in the Lord. PSALM l.
Miserere mei, Deus; secundum magnam misericordiam tuam. 
Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy great mercy. Et secundum multitudinem miserationum tuarum; dele iniquitatem meam. And according to the multitude of thy tender mercies, blot out my iniquities.
Amplius lava me ab iniquitate mea: et a peccato meo munda me. Wash me yet more from my iniquity; and cleanse me from my sin.
Quoniam iniquitatem meam ego cognosco: et peccatum meum contra me est semper. For I know my iniquity and my sin is always before me.
Tibi soli peccavi, et malum coram te feci: ut justificeris in sermonibus tuis, et vincas cum judicaris. To thee only have I sinned, and have done evil before thee: that thou mayest be justified in thy words, and mayest overcome when thou art judged.
Ecce enim in iniquitatibus conceptus sum: et in peccatis concepit me mater mea. For behold I was conceived in iniquities; and in sins did my mother conceive me.
Ecce enim veritatem dilexisti: incerta et occulta sapientiæ tuæ manifestasti mihi. For behold thou hast loved truth: the uncertain and hidden things of thy wisdom thou hast made manifest to me.
Asperges me hyssopo et mundabor: lavabis me et super nivem dealbabor. Thou shalt sprinkle me with hyssop, and I shall be cleansed: thou shalt wash me, and I shall be made whiter than snow.
Auditu meo dabis gaudium et lætitiam: et exultabunt ossa humiliata. To my hearing thou shalt give joy and gladness; and the bones that have been humbled shall rejoice.
Averte faciem tuam a peccatis meis: et omnes iniquitates meas dele. Turn away thy face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.
Cor mundum crea in me, Deus: et spiritum rectum innova in visceribus meis. Create a clean heart in me, O God: and renew a right spirit within my bowels.
Ne projicias me a facie tua: et spiritum sanctum tuum ne auferas a me. Cast me not away from thy face; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
Redde mihi lætitiam salutaris tui: et spiritu principali confirma me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation, and strengthen me with a perfect spirit.
Docebo iniquos vias tuas: et impii ad te convertentur. I will teach the unjust thy ways: and the wicked shall be converted to thee.
Libera me de sanguinibus, Deus, Deus salutis meæ: et exultabit lingua mea justitiam tuam. Deliver me from blood, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall extol thy justice.
Domine, labia mea aperies: et os meum annuntiabit laudem tuam. O Lord, thou wilt open my lips: and my mouth shall declare thy praise.
Quoniam si voluisses sacrificium, dedissem utique: holocaustis non delectaberis. For if thou hadst desired sacrifice, I would indeed have given it: with burnt-offerings thou wilt not be delighted.
Sacrificium Deo spiritus contribulatus: cor contritum et humiliatum, Deus, non despicies. A sacrifice to God is an afflicted spirit; a contrite and humbled heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
Benigne fac Domine in bona voluntate tua Sion: ut ædificentur muri Jerusalem. Deal favorably, O Lord, in thy good will with Sion, that the walls of Jerusalem may be built up.
Tunc acceptabis sacrificium justitiæ, oblationes, et holocausta: tunc imponent super altare tuum vitulos. Then shalt thou accept the sacrifice of justice, oblations, and whole burnt-offerings; then shall they lay calves upon thy altar.
Requiem æternam, &c. Eternal rest, &c. As they enter the Church, the chanters intone:
Ant. Exultabunt Domino ossa humiliata. Ant. The bones that were humbled shall rejoice in the Lord.
Subvenite, Sancti Dei; occurrite, Angeli Domini, suscipientes animam ejus, offerentes eam in conspectu Altissimi. Come to his assistance, ye Saints of God; come forth to meet him, ye Angels of the Lord, receiving his soul, offering it in the sight of the Most High.
V. Suscipiat te Christus, qui vocavit te, et in sinum Abrahæ Angeli deducant te. V. May Christ receive thee, who called thee; and may the Angels conduct thee to Abraham's bosom.
R. Suscipientes animam ejus, offerentes eam in conspectu Altissimi. R. Receiving his soul, offering it in the sight of the Most High.
Requiem æternam dona ei, Domine; et lux perpetua luceat ei. Eternal rest give unto him, O Lord; and let perpetual light shine upon him.
Offerentes eam in conspectu Altissimi. Offering it in the sight of the Most High.
The corpse is placed in the middle of the Church, with the head to the altar if the deceased be an ecclesiastical person, or the feet to the altar if a layman. Tapers are lighted around the corpse, and then, if time permits, are said Matins and Lauds, of the Office for the Dead; otherwise the Priest proceeds:
Pater Noster. Our Father. Et ne nos inducas in tentationem. And lead us not into temptation. R. Sed libera nos a malo. R. But deliver us from evil. V. A porta inferi. V. From the gate of hell. R. Erue, Domine, animam ejus. R. Deliver his soul, O Lord. V. Requiescat in pace. V. May he rest in peace. R. Amen. R. Amen. V. Domine, exaudi orationem meam. V. O Lord, hear my prayer. R. Et clamor meus ad te veniat. R. And let my cry come unto thee. V. Dominus vobiscum. V. The Lord be with you. R. Et cum spiritu tuo. R. And with thy spirit. Oremus. Let us pray. Absolve, quæsumus, Domine, animam famuli tui N. ab omni vinculo delictorum, ut in resurrectionis gloria inter sanctos et electos tuos resuscitatus respiret. Absolve, we beseech thee, O Lord, the soul of thy servant N. from all the bonds of his sins, that, rising again in the glory of the resurrection, he may enjoy repose among thy saints and elect. R. Amen. R. Amen.
(Here, in solemn funerals, Mass is celebrated.)
Where solemn high Mass is said, the body being present, the reader may follow the ordinary of the Mass (p. 187), or the Introit, Collect, &c. (on p. 491), or the prayers at Mass for the Dead (p. 291).
After the Mass, the Priest takes off his chasuble and maniple, and the clergy, led by the subdeacon bearing the cross, proceed to the coffin, the Priest and Deacon closing the procession. The subdeacon stands at the head of the corpse, with an acolyte holding a taper on each side, and the Priest at the foot with acolytes bearing a censer and holy water. Then the Priest continues:
Non intres in judicium cum servo tuo, Domine, quia nullus apud te justificabitur homo, nisi per te omnium peccatorum ei tribuatur remissio. Non ergo eum, quæsumus, tua judicialis sententia premat, quem tibi vera supplicatio fidei Christianæ commendat: sed gratia tua illi succurrente, mereatur evadere judicium ultionis, qui, dum vixerit, insignitus est signaculo Sanctæ Trinitatis; qui vivis et regnas in sæcula sæculorum. Enter not into judgment with thy servant, O Lord, for in thy sight shall no man be justified, unless through thee remission of all his sins be granted unto him. Let not, therefore, we beseech thee, the sentence of thy judgment weigh upon him, whom the true supplication of Christian faith doth commend unto thee: but by the succor of thy grace, may he merit to escape the judgment of vengeance, who, while he lived, was marked with the seal of the Holy Trinity: who livest and reignest forever and ever.
R. Amen. R. Amen.
Then, a chorister beginning, the clergy standing round chant the following Response:
Libera me, Domine, de morte æterna, in die illa tremenda: Quando cœli movendi sunt et terra: Dum veneris judicare sæculum per ignem. Deliver me, O Lord, from eternal death, in that tremendous day: When the heavens shall be moved, and the earth: when thou shalt come to judge the world by fire.
V. Tremens factus sum ego, et timeo, dum discussio venerit, atque ventura ira. V. I am in fear and trembling, until the trial cometh, and the wrath to come.
R. Quando cœli movendi sunt et terra: Dum veneris judicare sæculum per ignem. R. When the heavens shall be moved, and the earth: when thou shalt come to judge the world by fire.
V. Dies illa, dies iræ, calamitatis et miseriæ, dies magna et amara valde: V. That day, a day of wrath, calamity, and misery; a day great and very bitter:
R. Dum veneris judicare sæculum per ignem. Requiem æternam dona ei, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat ei. R. When thou shalt come to judge the world by fire. Eternal rest give unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him.
V. Libera me, Domine, de morte æterna, in die illa tremenda: Quando cœli movendi sunt et terra: Dum veneris judicare sæculum per ignem. V. Deliver me, O Lord, from eternal death, in that tremendous day: When the heavens shall be moved, and the earth: When thou shalt come to judge the world by fire.
Whilst the above Responsory is chanted, the Priest puts incense in the censer; and, the Responsory being ended, a chorister with the first choir says, Kyrie eleison; and the second choir answers, Christe eleison. Then they all say together, Kyrie eleison.
Next, the Priest says in a loud voice, Pater noster, which is said secretly by all: meanwhile he receives from the assistant the vessel of holy water; and having made a profound inclination to the Crucifix opposite him, he goes round the bier and sprinkles the body of the deceased: then, returning to his place, he receives the censer from the assistant, and in like manner goes round the bier, and incenses the corpse in the same way as he sprinkled it; then returning the thurible to the assistant he says:
V. Et ne nos inducas in tentationem. V. And lead us not into temptation. R. Sed libera nos a malo. R. But deliver us from evil. V. A porta inferi. V. From the gate of hell. R. Erue, Domine, animam ejus. R. Deliver his soul, O Lord. V. Requiescat in pace. V. May he rest in peace. R. Amen. R. Amen. V. Domine, exaudi orationem meam. V. O Lord, hear my prayer. R. Et clamor meus ad te veniat. R. And let my cry come unto thee. V. Dominus vobiscum. V. The Lord be with you. R. Et cum spiritu tuo. R. And with thy spirit. Oremus. Let us pray. Deus, cui proprium est misereri semper et parcere, te supplices exoramus pro anima famuli tui N., quam hodie de hoc sæculo migrare jussisti: ut non tradas eam in manus inimici, neque obliviscaris in finem, sed jubeas eam a sanctis Angelis suscipi, et ad patriam Paradisi perduci; ut, quia in te speravit et credidit, non pœnas inferni sustineat, sed gaudia sempiterna possideat. O God, whose property is always to have mercy and to spare, we humbly beseech thee for the soul of thy servant N., which thou hast this day commanded to depart out of this world: that thou deliver it not into the hands of the enemy, nor forget it unto the end; but command it to be received by the holy Angels and conducted into Paradise, our true country; that, as it trusted and believed in thee, it may not suffer the pains of hell, but attain unto everlasting joys. R. Amen. R. Amen.
The prayer being ended, the body is borne out, the choir chanting:
In Paradisum deducant te Angeli, in tuo adventu suscipiant te Martyres, et perducant te in civitatem sanctam Jerusalem. Chorus Angelorum te suscipiat, et cum Lazaro quondam paupere æternam habeas requiem. May the angels conduct thee into Paradise; at thy coming may the Martyrs receive thee, and lead thee to Jerusalem, the holy city. May the Angelic choir receive thee, and with Lazarus, once a beggar, mayest thou have eternal rest.
Arriving at the grave, the Priest, if it has not previously been blessed, says:
Oremus. Let us pray. Deus, cujus miseratione animæ fidelium requiescunt, nunc tumulum benedicere ✠ O God, by whose compassion the souls of the faithful find rest, vouchsafe to bless ✠
dignare, eique Angelum tuum sanctum deputa custodem; et quorum corpora hic sepeliuntur, animas eorum ab omnibus absolve vinculis delictorum, ut in te semper cum Sanctis tuis sine fine lætentur. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. this grave, and assign there to thy holy Angel for a guard; and absolve from all the bonds of sin the souls of those whose bodies are here buried, that with thy Saints they may ever rejoice in thee to all eternity. Through Jesus Christ our Lord.
R. Amen. R. Amen.
The prayer being said, the Priest sprinkles with holy water, and afterwards incenses, the body of the deceased and the grave. Then he intones:
Ant. Ego sum. Ant. I am.
CANTICLE OF ZACHARY.
Benedictus. Blessed (p. 808).
Requiem æternam. Eternal rest.
Ant. Ego sum resurrectio et vita: qui credit in me, etiam si mortuus fuerit vivet; et omnis qui vivit, et credit in me, non morietur in æternum. Ant. I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, although he be dead, shall live; and every one that liveth and believeth in me shall not die forever.
Then the Priest says:
Kyrie eleison. Lord, have mercy. Christe eleison. Christ, have mercy. Kyrie eleison. Lord, have mercy. Pater noster, &c. Our Father, &c.
Sprinkling the corpse:
V. Et ne nos inducas in tentationem. V. And lead us not into temptation. R. Sed libera nos a malo. R. But deliver us from evil. V. A porta inferi. V. From the gate of hell. R. Erue, Domine, animam ejus. R. Deliver his soul, O Lord. V. Requiescat in pace. V. May he rest in peace. R. Amen. R. Amen. V. Domine, exaudi orationem meam. V. O Lord, hear my prayer. R. Et clamor meus ad te veniat. R. And let my cry come unto thee. V. Dominus vobiscum. V. The Lord be with you. R. Et cum spiritu tuo. R. And with thy spirit. Oremus. Let us pray. Fac, quæsumus, Domine, hanc cum servo tuo defuncto misericordiam, ut factorum suorum in pœnis non recipiat vicem, qui tuam in votis tenuit voluntatem; ut sicut hic eum vera fides junxit fidelium turmis, ita illic eum tua miseratio societ angelicis choris. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Grant, O Lord, we beseech thee, this mercy unto thy servant deceased, that, having in intention kept thy will, he may not suffer in requital of his deeds; but that, as here a true faith joined him unto the company of the faithful, so there thy compassion may associate him with the choirs of Angels. Through Christ our Lord. R. Amen. R. Amen. V. Requiem æternam dona ei, Domine. V. Eternal rest give unto him, O Lord. R. Et lux perpetua luceat ei. R. And let perpetual light shine upon him. V. Requiescat in pace. V. May he rest in peace. R. Amen. R. Amen. V. Anima ejus, et animæ omnium fidelium defunctorum, per misericordiam Dei requiescant in pace. V. May his soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. R. Amen. R. Amen.
On returning from the burial is said the Psalm De profundis (p. 855), with its antiphon Si iniquitates.
