Funerals & Memorials

The Church stands ready to assist and console in a time of loss by offering funeral services for the departed and counsel for the family to aid with the grieving process. Nothing is rushed; nothing is formulaic. Each life is accompanied by its own prayers.

When a loved one passes at home, please contact the appropriate emergency services first. When a loved one passes in a hospital or medical facility, the attending staff will handle the necessary arrangements. In either case, please notify the parish as soon as possible, both for the offering of prayers and to co-ordinate the Trisagion and Funeral service.

The Funeral Service emphasises the reality of death and the next dimension of life. During this service we pray for the forgiveness of sins and for the repose of the soul of our loved one. Once the service is completed, the entombment takes place at the cemetery, usually followed by a wake in which the family is received and consoled.

For the Funeral Service you will need to prepare a bowl of koliva and a bottle of olive oil mixed with wine. The parish can assist with these preparations if required — please contact us.

The Church does not permit cremation, since it is a deliberate disruption of the integrity of the body, which is created in the image and likeness of God. The tradition of the Orthodox faith is to bury our loved ones. There are rare exceptions: in extreme cases where cremation is unavoidable, the funeral service may be conducted only with permission from the Archdiocese, and the priest will not accompany the deceased to the crematorium.

After the funeral, the Church continues to pray for the departed at the memorial services on the 40th day, at six months, at one year, and at each anniversary thereafter — a quiet, steady remembrance, a reminder that love is not severed by death.