Funeral Music at OSP

Planning Music for a Funeral Liturgy or Memorial Mass

As you make all the preparations for the funeral, we at Old St. Pats are here to help and assist you in planning the Mass of Christian Burial. Know that the family of Old St. Patrick’s grieves with you for your loss, and we are here to help you in this time of need. It is always difficult planning for a funeral, and, in times of grief, it is often not easy to make decisions. We are here to listen and to help you understand the rituals that are used by the Church when a member of the Body of Christ dies and help you with questions you might have when planning a Funeral Mass.

Our team is pictured below and here to help you in this process. In addition to the music content on this page, we offer a full, comprehensive planning resource to begin your music and liturgy planning (click on the Download File link below.)

Complete Planning Guide for OSP Funeral
File Size:	16817 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

Bernadette Gibson, Director of Pastoral Care

Laura Higgins, Music and Pastoral Care Associate

Mark Scozzafave, Director of Music

I. Program Booklet / Worship Aid

A program booklet will be designed by our Pastoral Care team as a way to extend Old St. Patrick's hospitality to your family and guests. This includes prayers, photos, and music so that all might be comfortable participating in this sacred moment.

We provide you here with a few representative PDFs of previous booklets that might guide your planning process:
Example 1 | Example 2 | Example 3 | Example 4

II. Cantors and Instrumentalists

Music for funerals and memorials at Old St. Patrick's start with a pianist and a cantor (vocalist).
From there we can add additional instruments to enhance the beauty of your selections. Often adding 1 or 2 instrumentalists gives a fuller and richer sound in our beautiful church. Some suitable combinations include, but are not limited to (in addition to piano and cantor):

Violin
Violin, Cello
Flute or Oboe added to the above
Traditional Irish instrumentalists (Trio of 3 players)

To uphold the quality of music at Old St. Patrick's, it is our policy that guest musicians are not permitted. Thank you, in advance, for your understanding.

III. Available Music Selections

We offer an expansive list of music and styles to best accommodate a diverse set of funeral needs. We have found that these time-tested selections represent our music and pastoral care ministries and community in a way that moves the heart and engages all involved. Music selected for a funeral liturgy should reflect the dignity and the reverence of the occasion and work hand-in-hand with the liturgy to express the Christian beliefs that we remember not only the life of the one who has died but also the presence of the Lord Jesus in that person’s life. Thus we ask music in the following categories not be used:

Any music that is purely secular in nature, and as such, neglects the sacredness of the liturgy.
Popular musical favorites which merely recall sentimental, personal associations; such music should be reserved for a non-church gathering (e.g. funeral home).
Songs that do not have an obvious relation to prayer.

Please make your selections from the carefully-curated list of repertoire selections in our various resources. In the case of music being requested that is not on our list, the final decision as to the suitability of the piece belongs to the music director in. Memorial Services with no Eucharist are still celebrations of the funeral liturgy and the above principles still apply.

Prelude Music

Various Instrumental and Classical Selections | We will supply instrumental music, stylistically-aligned with other selections, for 15 minutes prior to the start of the liturgy.

Welcome and Placing of the Pall (where applicable)
Gathering | Consider music that speaks to the moment of gathering, familiarity, welcome, and comfort

Amazing Grace (Trad. Hymn)
Be Not Afraid (Dufford) - recording |
Lord of All Hopefulness (SLANE/Struther) - recording | a traditional three-verse hymn about God's presence in our lives
Here I Am, Lord (Schutte) - recording | classic anthem of the St. Louis Jesuits speaking to hope and discipleship
How Great Thou Art (Hine)
We Shall Rise Again (Young) - recording | "Come to me, all you weary, with your burdens and pain..."

First Reading | usually an Old Testament scripture passage (see Scripture Resource Guide)

Psalm | musical response

Psalm 23: Shepherd Me, O God (Haugen) - recording
"Shepherd me, O God, beyond my wants, beyond my needs from death into life."
Psalm 23: The Lord Is My Shepherd (Daigle) -- recording
"The Lord is my shepherd. There is nothing I shall want."
Psalm 25: I Lift My Soul (True) - recording
"I lift my soul to you, O Lord, to you I lift my hands, I lift my heart, my soul."
Psalm 25: To You, O Lord (Haugen) - recording
"To you, O Lord, I lift my soul. To you I lift my soul."
Psalm 16: Shelter Me, O God (Hurd) - recording
"Shelter me, O God, hide me in the shadow of your wings. You alone are my hope."
Psalm 16: Evermore, I'll Sing Your Praise (Lawton) - recording
"Evermore I'll sing your praise, ever more through endless days, God of all seasons, right and reason, Lord of love and endless days."
Psalm 34: The Lord Will Heal The Broken Heart (Lawton) - recording
"The Lord will heal the broken heart, God will seek the lost and find them."
Psalm 27: The Lord Is My Light (Bolduc) - recording
"The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom should I fear? The Lord is my stronghold and my refuge, how can I be afraid?"
Psalm 134: We Will Rest In You (Hay)
"Silently, peacefully, we will rest in you."
Psalm 138: In the Sight of the Angels (Irish/Budziak)
"In the sight of the angels I praise your name, ever singing, still singing, your joy."

Second Reading | usually a New Testament scripture passage (see Scripture Resource Guide)

Gospel Acclamation Options

Easter Alleluia (Haugen)
Traditional Chant
Celtic Alleluia

Gospel Reading and Homily | proclaimed by the presider (see Scripture Resource Guide)

Prayers of the Faithful | usually read by a family member(s) or friends

Preparation of Gifts

Ave Maria (Schubert) - recording | the well-know Schubert setting of the Hail Mary, in Latin
Hail Mary, Gentle Woman (Landry) - recording
All Is Holy (Cotter) - recording | a setting of the Ecclesiastes reading, there is a time for a everything, with a beautiful refrain that names all of those as sacred and holy
I Have Loved You (Joncas)
The Clouds' Veil (Lawton) - recording | an Irish song of hope and faithfulness
Be Not Afraid (Dufford)
There Is A Place (Lawton) - recording |
Do Not Be Afraid (Cotter) - recording | "...I am with you always," proclaims this scripture-based pieces from Jeanne Cotter
Lead, Kindly Light (Warner) - recording | a Notre Dame Folk Choir piece about moving along God's path based on a Cardinal Newman text
The Summons (Bell) - recording | a comforting song of discipleship and change
Peace, Be Not Anxious (True) - recording |
The King of Love My Shepherd Is (Gaelic/Baker)

** many of these are suitable for communion time as well

Communion

On Eagle's Wings (Joncas)
Panis Angelicus (Franck)
Here I Am, Lord (Schutte)
Taste and See (Moore)
I Heard The Voice of Jesus Say (KINGSFOLD)
How Can I Keep From Singing? (Quaker tune / arr. Cotter)
I Am The Bread of Life (Toolan)
Eye Has Not Seen (Haugen)

Final Commendation

Celtic Song of Farewell (Londonderry, arr. Schaubel) - recording | an adaptation of the In Paradisum text, set to the well-known Danny Boy tune
The Hand of God Shall Hold You (Haugen) - recording | a song of comfort and being held by God
How Bright Is The Day (Irish / Sawyer)
In Paradisum (Traditional Chant)
May The Angels Lead You Into Paradise (Hughes) - recording
May The Angels Lead You Home (Hart) - recording | a beautiful, contemporary setting with heart-felt text
The Angel's Farewell - recording | a lyrical setting of a text by Cardinal John Henry Newman, "softly and gently my most dearly ransomed soul, in my most loving arms I now enfold thee.."

Recessional / Closing Song

On Eagle's Wings (Joncas) - recording | classic setting of Psalm 91, a familiar source of comfort and uplifting confidence
I Will Lift My Eyes (Alonso) - recording
Amazing Grace / My Chains Are Gone (Newton/Tomlin) - recording | a stable, contemporary setting of Amazing Grace with a refrain proclaiming our being free and in the grace of God
How Great Thou Art (Hine)
Sing With All The Saints (Beethoven / Irons, Ode To Joy Tune) - recording
I Am The Bread of Life (Toolan) - recording
Let There Be Peace On Earth (Miller/Jackson) - recording
City of God (Schutte) - recording |

IV. Cantors

Our music program offers many vocal talents to lead music, all of whom participate widely on Sundays. Their pictures and names are below with, where applicable, sound samples of them singing.