The Burial Service, or Funeral

For Christians, the parting of the soul from the body is a painful but necessary stage in our progress from this life to eternal life with God. The Church honors the mortal remains of each of its members, burying them in the earth to await the second coming of Christ, and prays that God may forgive their sins, have mercy on them, and welcome them into His kingdom.

Our principal service for the dead is the burial service, or funeral. In this service, we take the body of a member of the Christian community who has died and lay it honorably to rest, while praying for the soul that has been separated from it.

The burial service in our Slavonic liturgical books

In the Euchologion or Trebnyk, the liturgical book which contains our funeral services along with the Holy Mysteries and other occasional services, the funeral is a single, extended service which accompanies the body and soul of the deceased from the home (at one time, the actual home of the deceased; today, this is usually a funeral home) to the gravesite.

A cursory examination shows that the funeral service is based on Matins (the Church's morning prayer), and in particular has striking similarities to the service of Matins on Great and Holy Saturday:


Matins for Holy Saturday, or Jerusalem Matins	The Burial Service (Funeral)
	Entrance into the Church with body: Gospel, “Holy God”
Blessing by priest: "Glory to the holy, consubstantial, life-giving and undivided Trinity"	Blessing by priest: “Blessed is our God”
Psalm 3	Psalm 90
Great Litany (Litany of Peace)	Great Litany for the Deceased
"The Lord is God", with verses Troparia for Holy Saturday	"Alleluia", with verses Troparia for the Departed, in Tone 8
First reading from Psalm 118 , with refrains Small Litany	First reading from Psalm 118, with refrains Small Litany
Second reading from Psalm 118, with refrains Small Litany	Second reading from Psalm 118, with refrains Small Litany
Hymns (Evlogitaria) of the Resurrection, with refrain: "Blessed are you, O God; teach me your commandments." Small litany Sessional Hymns in Tone 2: “Joseph went to Pilate to beg for your body”	Hymns (Evlogitaria) for the Departed, with refrain: "Blessed are you, O God; teach me your commandments." Small Litany Sessional Hymns in Tone 5: “O Savior, give rest to your servant”
Psalm 50	Psalm 50
THE CANON FOR THE BURIAL OF CHRIST (in Tone 6) Odes 1 and 3 Small litany Sessional Hymns in Tone 2: “The soldiers guarding your tomb, O Savior” Odes 4, 5, and 6 Small litany Kontakion and Ikos of Holy Saturday Odes 7, 8, and 9 Small Litany for the Deceased	THE CANON FOR THE DEPARTED (in Tone 6) Odes 1 and 3 Small litany Sessional Hymns in Tone 6: “All is vanity, indeed” Odes 4, 5, and 6 Small litany Kontakion and Ikos for the Departed Odes 7, 8, and 9 Small Litany for the Deceased
"Holy is the Lord, our God", with verses Psalms of Praise (148-150) with stichera Great Doxology Procession with burial shroud of Christ Troparion of the Prophecy and Old Testament reading	Hymns of St. John Damascene Beatitudes
Prokeimenon Apostolic Reading Alleluia Gospel	Prokeimenon Apostolic Reading Alleluia Gospel
Litany of Supplication	Litany for the Deceased
	Hymns of Farewell
	Trisagion prayers, troparia, litany, and prayer
Dismissal	Prayer of Absolution Dismissal
Veneration of the tomb and shroud of Christ	Gospel reading Procession with body to grave

A few notes on these two services:

The funeral begins with the entrance of the body into the church; a Gospel account of the Resurrection may be read.
A psalm asking for God's protection (Psalm 90) is followed by a Litany.
On both Holy Saturday and at the funeral, we read Psalm 118: a long poem (176 verses!) in praise of God's law, and how we should follow in its way. On Holy Saturday, we add hymns singing of the burial of Christ; at the funeral, we add hymns asking for forgiveness for the one who has died. The psalm is divided into "standings" (stations) which alternate with "sessional" or "sitting" hymns (also called "kathisma" in Greek); that is, we divide up the recitation of the psalter by standing to listen to or chant the psalms, then sitting while we listen to or sing hymns.
In both services, Psalm 118 is followed by a series of hymns with the refrain, "Blessed are you, O God; teach me your commandments." On Holy Saturday, the hymns describe the Resurrection; at the funeral, they speak of the joy of the blessed in heaven.
Then comes Psalm 50 and a Canon (a sort of liturgical poem).

After this point the services diverge: on Holy Saturday, we re-enact Christ's burial, while at the funeral we sing hymns describing the tragedy of death, then sing Christ's plan of salvation (the Beatitudes), and end with a real burial procession.

The burial service and the memorial service

Eventually, the night-time vigil before the funeral, and the annual services at which the dead are remembered in prayer, came to borrow the structure of the burial service, leaving out only the parts that involve having a body present to be prayed over. The result is the memorial service, or Parastas (standing service):


The Burial Service (Funeral)	The Memorial Service (Parastas)
Entrance into the Church with body: Gospel, “Holy God”
Blessing by priest: “Blessed is our God”	Blessing by priest: “Blessed is our God”
Psalm 90	Psalm 90
Great Litany for the Deceased	Great Litany for the Deceased
"Alleluia", with verses Troparia for the Departed, in Tone 8	"Alleluia", with verses Troparia for the Departed, in Tone 8
First reading from Psalm 118, with refrains Small Litany	First reading from Psalm 118, with refrains Small Litany
Second reading from Psalm 118, with refrains Small Litany	Second reading from Psalm 118, with refrains Small Litany
Hymns (Evlogitaria) for the Departed, with refrain: "Blessed are you, O God; teach me your commandments." Small Litany Sessional Hymns in Tone 5: “O Savior, give rest to your servant”	Hymns (Evlogitaria) for the Departed, with refrain: "Blessed are you, O God; teach me your commandments." Small Litany Sessional Hymns in Tone 5: “O Savior, give rest to your servant”
Psalm 50	Psalm 50
THE CANON FOR THE DEPARTED (in Tone 6) Odes 1 and 3 Small litany Sessional Hymns in Tone 6: “All is vanity, indeed” Odes 4, 5, and 6 Small litany Kontakion and Ikos for the Departed Odes 7, 8, and 9 Small Litany for the Deceased	THE CANON FOR THE DEPARTED (in Tone 6) (or another canon in Tone 8) Odes 1 and 3 Small litany Sessional Hymns in Tone 6: “All is vanity, indeed” Odes 4, 5, and 6 Small litany Kontakion and Ikos for the Departed Odes 7, 8, and 9 Small Litany for the Deceased
Hymns of St. John Damascene Beatitudes, with troparia	"It is truly proper to glorify you, O Theotokos"
Prokeimenon Apostolic Reading Alleluia Gospel
Litany for the Deceased
Hymns of Farewell
Trisagion prayers, troparia, litany, and prayer	Trisagion prayers, troparia, litany, and prayer
Prayer of Absolution Dismissal	Dismissal
Gospel reading Procession with body to grave

Notice the last two entries on the right: if you add an opening blessing, this structure (Trisagion or beginning prayers, troparia for the departed, litany for the departed, prayer for the dead, dismissal) is exactly what we call a Panachida. So the memorial service or Parastas is really the first part of the funeral service, plus a Panachida, celebrated for one or more persons who have died.

To these two basic services, the Trebnyk adds:

The service "in the home" before the body is taken to church for burial (essentially a Panachida)
The graveside service (processional and burial, followed by a Panachida at the grave)
Special texts for the burial of a child who dies below the "age of reason", with many of the hymns of judgment and forgiveness replaced by hymns asserting God's special care over children and the innocent
Special texts for the funeral and memorial service during Bright Week (the week after Pascha). On these days we do not (in general) commemorate the dead, focusing instead on the Resurrection; the holy doors to the sanctuary remain open, and a pious belief holds that anyone who dies in Bright Week goes straight to heaven. So in the services for the dead during Bright Week, Paschal hymns replace many of the funeral and memorial elements.
Special funeral service for priests, with numerous Gospel readings, and older elements which have been dropped from the funeral service for laymen and laywomen.

The burial service as it evolved over time

The memorial or Parastas was celebrated on special days of commemoration of all the dead, but it was also held as a "wake" or vigil service in the home, on the night before the funeral. (Such wakes were common in American culture, including among Roman Catholics, and the Parastas was admirably suited to fill this role. So people began to think of the Parastas as "what we have on the night before the funeral," reversing the order:


The Memorial Service (Parastas)	The Burial Service (Funeral)

and when an official funeral book was promulgated in 1972 (later revised in 1984; PDF), it either eliminated many of the common elements of the Parastas and the Funeral, or marked them as "not for parochial usage" (i.e., not used in parishes). Here is the result:


The Memorial Service (Parastas)	The Burial Service (Funeral)
	Entrance into the Church with body: Gospel, “Holy God”
Blessing by priest: “Blessed is our God”	Blessing by priest: “Blessed is our God”
Psalm 90	~~Psalm 90~~
Great Litany for the Deceased	Great Litany for the Deceased
"Alleluia", with verses Troparia for the Departed, in Tone 8	"Alleluia", with verses Troparia for the Departed, in Tone 8
First reading from Psalm 118, with refrains Small Litany	First reading from Psalm 118, with refrains Small Litany
Second reading from Psalm 118, with refrains Small Litany	Second reading from Psalm 118, with refrains Small Litany
Hymns (Evlogitaria) for the Departed, with refrain: "Blessed are you, O God; teach me your commandments." Small Litany Sessional Hymns in Tone 5: “O Savior, give rest to your servant”	Hymns (Evlogitaria) for the Departed, with refrain: "Blessed are you, O God; teach me your commandments." Small Litany Sessional Hymns in Tone 5: “O Savior, give rest to your servant”
~~Psalm 50~~	Psalm 50
THE CANON FOR THE DEPARTED (in Tone 6) (or another canon in Tone 8) Odes 1 ~~and 3~~ Small litany Sessional Hymns in Tone 6: “All is vanity, indeed” Odes 4, 5, and 6 Small litany Kontakion and Ikos for the Departed Odes ~~7, 8, and~~ 9 (now optional) ~~Small Litany for the Deceased~~	THE CANON FOR THE DEPARTED (in Tone 6) Odes 1 and 3 Small litany Sessional Hymns in Tone 6: “All is vanity, indeed” Odes 4, 5, and 6 Small litany Kontakion and Ikos for the Departed Odes 7, 8, and 9 Small Litany for the Deceased
"It is truly proper to glorify you, O Theotokos"	Hymns of St. John Damascene (5 dropped out of 8) Beatitudes
	Prokeimenon Apostolic Reading Alleluia Gospel
	Litany for the Deceased
	DIVINE LITURGY ADDED HERE
	Hymns of Farewell
Trisagion prayers, troparia, litany, and prayer	Trisagion prayers, troparia, litany, and prayer
Dismissal	Prayer of Absolution Dismissal
	Gospel reading Procession with body to grave

The section in gray is entirely missing from the funeral book; struck-through sections mark parts of the service which are "not prescribed for parochial use." Also notice that an optional Divine Liturgy is added to the funeral service, usually replacing the Divine Liturgy that was previously held on the 3rd, 9th or 40th day.

Some pastors tried to reintroduce parts of the service (made more difficult because some had no music); others abbreviated the services still further, leaving cantors with quite a task in trying to navigate through the book, remember which way the funeral is being celebrated today, and how to sing the (somewhat difficult) music which was often not provided with notation, but had to be sung by applying a known melody to different texts on the fly.

Over time, the number of cantors who are thoroughly familiar with the whole funeral service has dropped dramatically, and our services have suffered as a result.

Proposed changes to the funeral

In 2012 and 2013, the Inter-Eparchial Liturgical Commission conducted a thorough review of the funeral and memorial services, retranslated some places where the English texts had significant problems, and made recommendations to the Council of Hierarchs (our bishops) as to what might be done. Here is what they did:

Restored parts of the funeral service that were missing, with the exception of the small litanies between the Stations (since our congregations are used to singing straight through them).
Settled on a course of action for the Canons, deciding that Ode 1 and Ode 9 should always be sung, with Ode 8 optional.
Made allowances for entirely omitting the Stations or the Stations and Canon from the funeral, IF they were sung at the Parastas the night before.
Made allowance for omitting the Canon if the funeral service in its entirely (no Parastas) was celebrated with Divine Liturgy.
Added clearer rubrics for deacons and concelebrants, and generally "cleaned" up the services, with separate books for clergy, cantors, and faithful.

Here is the result:


The Memorial Service (Parastas)	The Burial Service (Funeral)
	Entrance into the Church with body: Gospel, “Holy God”
Blessing by priest: “Blessed is our God”	Blessing by priest: “Blessed is our God”
Psalm 90	Psalm 90
Great Litany for the Deceased	Great Litany for the Deceased
"Alleluia", with verses Troparia for the Departed, in Tone 8	"Alleluia", with verses Troparia for the Departed, in Tone 8
First reading from Psalm 118, with refrains Small Litany	First reading from Psalm 118, with refrains Small Litany
Second reading from Psalm 118, with refrains Small Litany	Second reading from Psalm 118, with refrains Small Litany
Hymns (Evlogitaria) for the Departed, with refrain: "Blessed are you, O God; teach me your commandments." Small Litany Sessional Hymns in Tone 5: “O Savior, give rest to your servant”	Hymns (Evlogitaria) for the Departed, with refrain: "Blessed are you, O God; teach me your commandments." Small Litany Sessional Hymns in Tone 5: “O Savior, give rest to your servant”
Psalm 50	Psalm 50
THE CANON FOR THE DEPARTED (in Tone 6) (or another canon in Tone 8) Ode 1 Kontakion and Ikos for the Departed Ode 8 (optional) Ode 9	THE CANON FOR THE DEPARTED (in Tone 6) (or another canon in Tone 8) Ode 1 Kontakion and Ikos for the Departed Ode 8 (optional) Ode 9
"It is truly proper to glorify you, O Theotokos"	Hymns of St. John Damascene (sing at least 3) Beatitudes
	Prokeimenon Apostolic Reading Alleluia Gospel
	Litany for the Deceased
	DIVINE LITURGY ADDED HERE
	Hymns of Farewell
Trisagion prayers, troparia, litany, and prayer	Trisagion prayers, troparia, litany, and prayer
Dismissal	Prayer of Absolution Dismissal
	Gospel reading Procession with body to grave

The resulting services are slightly longer, definitely more complete - and SHOULD involve much less decision-making to determine how the services are sung.

In 2014, the Inter-Eparchial Liturgical Commission worked on music for these services; some of the music settings had already been completed and released, such as the Hymns of Saint John Damascene (which are sung as part of the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts on certain Fridays in the Great Fast.)

In 2015, a preliminary version of the Parastas (memorial service) was approved for use at the annual pilgrimage to Mount Saint Macrina in Uniontown, PA, in honor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. (A Parastas is held at this pilgrimage each year for all those buried at the cemetery on the Mount.) You can see this book here.

Singing the Funeral Service

The MCI website provides three articles on singing the funeral service, using BOTH the current funeral book and early versions of the proposed funeral book:

Singing the Funeral Service, Part 1 - from the service "in the home" to the end of the Stations.
Singing the Funeral Service, Part 2 - from Psalm 50 through the Hymns of Saint John Damascene
Singing the Funeral Service, Part 3 - from the Beatitudes through the end of the Funeral, and continuing to the graveside service

These articles are part of the MCI Online class, Services for the Departed, which is recommended to all cantors. Like baptisms and weddings, our services for the departed are important, and each parish should have one or more cantors who can lead the singing at them with grace and confidence.