Burial of the Dead

Funeral rite for burial of a baptized Christian, including anthems, psalms, scripture readings, and prayers. The BCP provides both traditional and contemporary liturgies (pp. 469-507). This rite may serve as the liturgy of the word at a Requiem Eucharist. When there is communion at the Burial of the Dead, the commendation and the committal follow the communion of the people and the postcommunion prayer (BCP, pp. 482, 498). The burial rites also include the Apostles’ Creed, a special form of the prayers of the people, forms for the consecration of the grave, and additional prayers that may be added after the Lord’s Prayer. The BCP also provides an Order for Burial which permits the composition of a rite to suit particular circumstances “when, for pastoral considerations, neither of the burial rites in this Book is deemed appropriate” (pp. 506-507). The BOS provides appropriate texts for the burial of a person who was not a baptized Christian or who rejected the Christian faith. The burial office is an Easter liturgy. The liturgical color is appropriately white, and the Paschal candle should be lighted as a visible reminder of Jesus’ resurrection and our hope of life everlasting in Christ. At the Burial of the Dead those who mourn may express grief and sorrow as they share in the community’s expression of faith, hope, and mutual support in Jesus Christ.