subject: The Funeral Service Process [print this page] It is hard to accept that your loved one has passed away and will no longer be with you. It is impossible for anything to fill the void left behind by a departed loved one.
Although we are aware that death is our ever-present companion while we are living, it is inevitable that we experience extreme hurt when a person who we deeply love dies. Still, in order for us to accept the demise of someone very dear to us, we have to confront the matter head on. Furthermore, if the individual who died is part of our immediate family, we will be responsible for the preparations of the funeral service as a rite of saying our last farewell. It may be that pain will threaten to overcome you at this stage, making you unable to go through making decisions; a good funeral home may be able to offer their assistance at this moment. Nonetheless, it would also be well if you can personally oversee some particulars in the funeral service arrangement.
The dead person's life and beliefs are expressed in the funeral and hence, it is essential to organize it properly. There is a classic pattern which almost all funeral services adhere to, and any change would normally depend on specific religious and cultural inclinations of the deceased and his or her family.
The first stage of a funeral service can range from a couple of hours to many days and it is known as visitation. In this ceremony, the friends and family gather to remember their loved one. This is followed by the formal funeral service, which can be arranged in the chapel of the mortuary, or any church that you choose, or even at any other location which was special to the deceased. However, you must make sure that you have called for a funeral coach, if the place of the funeral is at some distance.
After this service, the family and acquaintances go to attend the graveyard service at the chosen cemetery. This can be handled by either a family member of the deceased or a priest based on the preference of the family. Certain issues have to be focused on at this stage including the person leading the service, if some items of the deceased will be exhibited, and the kind of flowers to be used.
Interring the body of the deceased is the final stage of the ritual, and the burial location depends on the burial tradition of the family, their religious customs, or as established in a will of the departed. The interment location can be anywhere from a plot on family land to a cemetery, or the cremation could be ordered if the deceased specified it in a will or if the family decide on it.
