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Catholic funeral program

Catholic funeral order of service — the Mass, set out for the congregation

A Mass of Christian Burial has a fixed shape, and the program's job is to walk a congregation through it: what happens, in what order, who reads, and when to stand. This page gives the order in full, the readings a family chooses from, and a program that prints it properly — with a matching holy card for the pew.

Create the program Catholic funeral program templates
  1. The rites in order. Introductory rites, Liturgy of the Word, Liturgy of the Eucharist, Final Commendation, Rite of Committal — as one list the congregation can follow, with the readings and hymns named.
  2. The readings, chosen by the family. The Church's lectionary offers a set to choose from for each place in the Mass; the parish confirms them. The order-of-service library in the editor has the full Mass sequence ready to edit, and the vigil and rosary too.
  3. A holy card that matches. The prayer card, the bookmark and the memorial card are drawn from the same details and the same design as the program — Rosary, The Church, Stained Glass, Candlelight and Classic all suit a Mass.

A finished program, not a blank template

Most "funeral templates" are a layout you still have to design, on a day you have no time for it. This is different: type the details once, and every piece is made for you — matching, print-ready, checked.

A template in a design app · an evening

You do the designing

  • Pick one of hundreds that look alike, then type the same name into six boxes.
  • Resize the photo yourself and hope it prints sharp.
  • Work out which page goes where when the sheet is folded.
  • Export, guess at bleed and margins, print, find the back is upside down.
  • Start again for the prayer card, the bookmark, the sign — none of them match.
  • Nobody to ask when it goes wrong at the copy shop.
Here · about ten minutes

You enter the details; we make every piece

  • Name, dates, order of service, obituary, a photo — once. Every page appears as you type.
  • The photo is placed, framed and checked for print quality; you are told if it is too small.
  • Pages are already in printing order, with bleed and crop marks for the shop and exact size for home.
  • What you see on screen is the PDF, to a third of a millimetre — proven on every build.
  • 58 designs, each making the program, cards, bookmark, sign, guest book and slideshow to match.
  • Free corrections after you pay, and a person who answers when a print goes wrong.

$29 for the program, $59 for the complete set — one payment, files in minutes, nothing shipped. Choose a design and start

Designs made for a Mass

Rosary, The Church, Stained Glass, Candlelight, Burgundy and Classic — restrained, and every one makes the program, the holy card, the bookmark and the sign.

The Church funeral design template — funeral program

The Church

A church aisle between wooden pews, light through the windows. Traditional and reverent, for any service.

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Rosary funeral design template — funeral program

Rosary

A wooden rosary and its cross on burlap, close and warm. For a Catholic funeral, plain and devout.

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Classic funeral design template — funeral program

Classic

Ivory paper, a fine double gold border and Lora serif type. Quiet, traditional, and it prints beautifully on any paper.

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Burgundy funeral design template — funeral program

Burgundy

Warm ivory paper framed in deep burgundy. Dignified and traditional, with a richness that suits a church service.

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Navy & Gold funeral design template — funeral program

Navy & Gold

A deep navy cover with a gold double border, white inside pages. Formal and dignified; ask your print shop for a heavier cover stock.

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Sage funeral design template — funeral program

Sage

Soft white paper with a fine double border in sage green. Calm and natural — a gentle choice for a gardener or a quiet soul.

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Lilies funeral design template — funeral program

Lilies

Pink and white lilies, the flower of funerals, behind every piece. Graceful and traditional — for a service in a church or a chapel.

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Linen funeral design template — funeral program

Linen

Natural linen, softly folded. The plainest, calmest design here — the words carry it.

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The Family Table funeral design template — funeral program

The Family Table

A dining room in morning light — the table where the family gathered. For the cook, the host, the one who kept everyone fed.

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The Piano funeral design template — funeral program

The Piano

Hands at an upright piano, sheet music open. For the pianist, the organist, the teacher of a thousand scales.

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Four pages, or eight when there is a life to tell

The four-page program holds the order of service and the obituary. The eight-page adds a page for the readings in full, a tributes page and photographs.

Funeral Program 5.5 × 8.5 in (139.7 × 215.9 mm) · 4 pages $29 · in the set $59 Funeral Program — 8 pages 5.5 × 8.5 in (139.7 × 215.9 mm) · 8 pages $34 Memorial Prayer Card 2.5 × 4.25 in (63.5 × 108 mm) · 2 pages $19 · in the set $59 Memorial Bookmark 2 × 7 in (50.8 × 177.8 mm) · 2 pages $19 · in the set $59 Memorial Card 5 × 7 in (127 × 177.8 mm) · 2 pages $19 Funeral Thank You Card 4 × 5 in (101.6 × 127 mm) · 2 pages $19 · in the set $59 Welcome Sign 8.5 × 11 in (215.9 × 279.4 mm) · 1 side $14

The order of a funeral Mass, in full

Introductory Rites: the greeting and the sprinkling with holy water at the door, the placing of the pall, the entrance procession and the opening prayer. Liturgy of the Word: a first reading from the Old Testament, a responsorial psalm, a second reading from the New Testament, the Gospel, the homily and the prayers of the faithful. Liturgy of the Eucharist: the presentation of the gifts, the eucharistic prayer, the Lord's Prayer, the sign of peace, communion and the prayer after communion. Final Commendation: the song of farewell, the prayer of commendation and the recessional. The Rite of Committal follows at the cemetery.

In the printed program each of those is one line, with the reader or the hymn named beside it — "First Reading — Wisdom 3:1–9, read by Anna Kowalski". Families often add a short line telling guests when to stand and when to sit, which is a kindness to everyone who is not Catholic and to a good many who are.

Choosing the readings

The lectionary sets out the passages a family may choose for a funeral. The ones most often chosen are Wisdom 3:1–9 or Ecclesiastes 3:1–8 for the first reading; Psalm 23, Psalm 27 or Psalm 130 for the responsorial; Romans 8:31–39, 1 Corinthians 15 or 2 Timothy 4:6–8 for the second; and John 14:1–6, John 11:21–27 or Matthew 5:1–12 for the Gospel. The parish confirms what is read and who may read it.

The verse library in the editor carries these in full, so a reading can be placed on the page without retyping, and the order-of-service library has the whole Mass — and the vigil and rosary for the evening before — ready to edit.

What to print, and what not to

A funeral program is not a worship aid. Reprinting the texts of the Mass — the prayers, the responses, the words of the liturgy — normally needs permission from the diocese or the copyright holder, and parishes have their own arrangements for that. What a family prints freely is the order: the names of the parts, the readings by reference, the hymn titles, the names of the readers and the ministers, the obituary, and the family's own words of thanks.

Ask the parish office before printing anything else. Most have a preferred layout and will tell you in a two-minute phone call — and they will confirm the celebrant's name and the exact time, which are the two details families most often get wrong.

Words of remembrance

A family member or friend may usually give brief words of remembrance, and the custom varies: many parishes ask that they be given at the vigil rather than at the Mass, and most ask that they run under five minutes. The homily belongs to the priest. Whichever the parish prefers, the program lists it in its place so nobody is left waiting for a speech that is not coming.

The wording for every other section — survived by, pallbearers, the acknowledgement, the closing line — is set out in funeral program wording.

Questions

What is the order of a Catholic funeral Mass?
Introductory rites (greeting, sprinkling with holy water, placing of the pall, entrance, opening prayer); Liturgy of the Word (first reading, responsorial psalm, second reading, Gospel, homily, prayers of the faithful); Liturgy of the Eucharist (presentation of the gifts, eucharistic prayer, the Lord's Prayer, sign of peace, communion); Final Commendation and song of farewell; then the recessional and the Rite of Committal at the cemetery.
Can we print the words of the Mass in the program?
Usually not without permission. The liturgical texts are under copyright and parishes have their own arrangements for worship aids. The order itself — the names of the parts, the readings by reference, the hymn titles and the readers — is yours to print freely.
Who chooses the readings for a Catholic funeral?
The family chooses from the lectionary's funeral readings, and the parish confirms them. Wisdom 3:1–9, Psalm 23, Romans 8:31–39 and John 14:1–6 are the most frequently chosen.
Can a family member give a eulogy at a funeral Mass?
Brief words of remembrance are usually permitted, often at the vigil rather than the Mass and generally under five minutes. Ask the parish — the custom differs from place to place.
What is the vigil, and does it need its own program?
The vigil, often with the rosary, is held the evening before at the funeral home or the church. Many families print a single sheet for it; the editor's order-of-service library has the vigil and rosary ready to use.
Do you offer a matching holy card?
Yes. The prayer card and the memorial card are made from the same details and the same design as the program, and print four to a sheet at home or at a copy shop.

Print the order of service for the Mass

The rites in order, the readings named, the obituary and a matching holy card — ready to print tonight.

Create the program

Digital download only. Free corrections for 30 days. Sales are final; corrections and repairs are free.