FUNERALS AND BEREAVEMENT
As well as being here for times of joy and celebration, St Mary's also exists to give hope and comfort in more difficult and challenging times.
A funeral is an opportunity to mark the end of a person's life here on earth. Family and friends gather to express their grief, to give thanks for the life of the person who has died, and to commend the deceased into God's keeping.
Funerals can be small, quiet ceremonies or large occasions. They can take place in church, in a crematorium or a green burial ground. Everyone has the right to a funeral service in their parish church, whether they have been churchgoers or not.
We can help you to plan a service which will allow you to give thanks for the person you knew and loved in a way that offers comfort and hope. You are also welcome you to come and pray in church, or to light a candle, or to join us at any of our services, and the church will be there to support you after the funeral.
The funeral director plays a very important part in all these arrangements and will want to know if the funeral is to be in church or if the service is to be taken at the crematorium. Funeral directors know the local clergy, the local cemeteries and the crematoria.
If you choose to have a Church of England funeral, one of the clergy from the church will visit you to listen to the story of the person you knew, and will go through all the details of the funeral service itself.
This website can also help you with your plans: Church of England Funerals
Please contact us if you would like to discuss a funeral or memorial service, or if you would like to advice as a loved-one comes close to death.
