Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 31, 2017 11:49:13 GMT -5
A teacher at the school where my husband works died suddenly. My husband just informed me that the funeral is to be in a Presbyterian Church. Trying to determine what to do - stay home, or if I go what do I do - sit there?? My first inclination is to not go to the funeral. However, the man who died was my husband's boss. The moralists explain that passive assistance, meaning you don't pray or in any other way participate, is permitted, if there is a good reason to go such as a wedding or funeral. For example, does passive assistance mean, that if they stand I remain seated? In other words, do I just sit through the whole service regardless of what everyone else is doing?? Or, is it ok to stand if they stand?? (I know nothing about Presbyterianism except they believe in predestination)!
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Post by Pacelli on May 31, 2017 13:45:44 GMT -5
The moralists explain that passive assistance, meaning you don't pray or in any other way participate, is permitted, if there is a good reason to go such as a wedding or funeral. For example, does passive assistance mean, that if they stand I remain seated? In other words, do I just sit through the whole service regardless of what everyone else is doing?? Or, is it ok to stand if they stand?? (I know nothing about Presbyterianism except they believe in predestination)! Good question, I will see if I can find you a source.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 31, 2017 14:57:19 GMT -5
I have just been informed that it will not be a funeral but a memorial service at the Presbyterian Church. I have never been to a memorial service and neither has my husband. Can someone tell me what the difference is between a memorial service and a funeral??
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Post by Jayne on May 31, 2017 15:01:11 GMT -5
I have just been informed that it will not be a funeral but a memorial service at the Presbyterian Church. I have never been to a memorial service and neither has my husband. Can someone tell me what the difference is between a memorial service and a funeral?? I think the main difference is that a funeral has the body of the deceased present but a memorial does not.
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Caillin
Approved Cath Resource contributor
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Post by Caillin on May 31, 2017 15:30:06 GMT -5
If you go to the funeral, it would probably work out best to just stay in the back and pray the rosary silently. Beyond the inherent goodness in praying the rosary, it also helps to avoid the chances of someone thinking your being disrespectful when you don't participate in their ceremonies. This in turn helps ward off temptations to participate out of fear of looking disrespectful. This is what I did, with the advice of a respectable priest, a couple years ago at my friend's funeral in a Methodist church. The curious and sad thing is they didn't even include anything that required participation. No prayers or other activity like that, just a bunch of speeches by the minister and others.
I think the moral theology books say that standing when everyone else stands isn't forbidden, but I'm not sure. You'd want to consult one to be certain.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 31, 2017 17:27:48 GMT -5
If you go to the funeral, it would probably work out best to just stay in the back and pray the rosary silently. Beyond the inherent goodness in praying the rosary, it also helps to avoid the chances of someone thinking your being disrespectful when you don't participate in their ceremonies. This in turn helps ward off temptations to participate out of fear of looking disrespectful. This is what I did, with the advice of a respectable priest, a couple years ago at my friend's funeral in a Methodist church. The curious and sad thing is they didn't even include anything that required participation. No prayers or other activity like that, just a bunch of speeches by the minister and others. I think the moral theology books say that standing when everyone else stands isn't forbidden, but I'm not sure. You'd want to consult one to be certain. I have no idea how to go about finding a moral theology book, or what moral theology book to even look for.
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Post by Pacelli on May 31, 2017 20:39:35 GMT -5
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 1, 2017 3:59:16 GMT -5
Pacelli - Many thanks for the source!!
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