The Funeral Choir
A Ministry for the Family of the Deceased

by Henry Doktorski
copyright 2001

Smile Pretty!
Saint John of God Parish Choir at the St. Marys Choir Loft,
December 2001 (Click on image to enlarge)

Retired persons: you are needed to help bring comfort to families of your parish who have recently lost a dearly-loved member. The task at hand? All you have to do is simply show up and sing at funeral liturgies. As the music director for Saint John of God Parish in McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania, I am grateful for the honor of playing the organ at such liturgies, but I am especially grateful for the distinct honor of accompanying the members of our Resurrection Choir.

In any parish, the Resurrection Choir usually consists of members of the normal church choir who happen to be senior citizens and so are retired from their regular nine-to-five job. Most funerals take place during weekdays, and so younger members of the choir who may be employed in full-time work cannot participate. Because of this, singing at funeral masses is a very important ministry for retired persons.

Most of the members of our funeral choir are not trained singers, but they don't need to be. They are simply ordinary people who like to serve God and their neighbors by singing. The work of the Resurrection Choir is simple: normally rehearsals are not even needed. Our members simply show up at the church a few minutes prior to the funeral, meet with the organist, find out which hymns are requested, and then participate in the mass and receive holy communion.

The Resurrection Choir is extremely important because at funerals most family members and relatives of the deceased are too choked up with strong emotions to sing. A silent funeral mass can be depressing, but a funeral mass filled with enthusiastic singing can be an uplifting experience.

Although we do not look for recognition, our small efforts are greatly appreciated. The families often send us beautiful cards and notes of appreciation, which brighten our day and give us immense satisfaction in knowing that our humble services are noticed. Following are just a few of many such notes:

"To all the choir members who sang at the funeral mass for our mother: we thank you so much. You helped to make the liturgy so uplifting and your singing really gave us great comfort. Thank you again."

"Dear Resurrection Choir: I just wanted to express my heartfelt thanks for the beauty that your presence added to my dad's funeral mass. My family and I are very grateful to all who came to sing."

"Dear St. John of God Choir: your singing of Amazing Grace and How Great Thou Art brought tears of joy to my eyes. I was terribly depressed due to my mother's recent death, but your singing of these inspirational songs really helped me get through a difficult time. Your singing enlivened my soul and helped me see that my mother had simply gone on to her eternal home with Christ. Those words you sang filled my heart with intense happiness: 'When Christ shall come with shouts of acclamation and take me home, what joy shall fill my heart! Then I shall bow in humble adoration and there proclaim, my God, how great Thou art!' I thank you again and again from the bottom of my heart. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you."

Just as the families of the deceased appreciate our singing, we also appreciate the spiritual graces we receive by singing at funeral liturgies. A few of our choir members gave testimony:

Robert Panza (age 77) said, "Singing at funeral liturgies is often an intense emotional experience for me. My whole heart and soul becomes immersed in feeling God's love and sometimes a tear comes to my eye. I'm happy that God has given me this small gift of being able to carry a tune so that I can help provide comfort during a family's hour of need. I understand that eventually I will also die and I imagine that I'm singing not only for the deceased at each funeral, but also for myself. When I see the casket, I recognize that one day the body in there will be mine."

Edward Spisak (age 77) said, "It is an honor and privilege for me to sing at funeral masses; this is truly a wonderful ministry for a retired person. Not only is it healing for the families of the departed, but it is also healing for me, because when I attend a funeral, even if I do not personally know the deceased, I also grieve for my departed brother or sister-in-Christ, along with the family. Most people try to avoid grieving, but it is really an important part of a healthy balanced life."

Nicholas Blodis (age 85) said, "Celebrating God's admittance of a fellow brother or sister soul into His spiritual fold is a powerful experience for me. It's like the culmination of a life's work in this world; to go back to our Lord. I'm not getting any younger myself and my legs and voice sometimes fail me, but I'll continue to hobble up into the choir loft and croak out a tune as long as God gives me the strength."

The spiritual rewards are great for such a simple task -- singing at funerals -- and it does not involve a lot of time, expense or energy. It's easy to get started: simply contact the organist at your parish and ask how to get involved. I'm sure he or she will be glad to have you join (or form) your parish's Resurrection Choir!

This article was written during Doktorski's tenure as Music Director for the Saint John of God Roman Catholic Parish (St. Mary, St. Mark, and Mother of Sorrows churches) in McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania.

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