How To Arrange A Funeral At St Leonard’s
Condolences
On behalf of all of us at St Leonard’s Church please accept our sincere condolences for your loss and be assured of our prayers for you at this sad and difficult time. If you would like your loved one prayed for by name at one of our Sunday services please let us know. We are sorry that you are facing this difficult time, but hope that we can bring you God’s loving care and offer our support to you in the coming days.
Who can have a funeral at St Leonard’s?
Everyone who lives in the parish or is a worshipping member of the church is entitled to either a burial service or to have their ashes buried in their local parish churchyard by their local parish priest. You don’t have to be religious or a church goer to have a funeral with the Church of England. If your loved one didn’t live in the parish but had a genuine link to St Leonard’s please speak to us about this.
Why have a church funeral?
From the moment that we are first in touch with you, throughout the funeral service and for as long as you need us afterwards we will be there for you. We offer ongoing support for as long as you feel that you would like it. The service commits your loved one to God’s care and offers comfort in the hope of the resurrection.
Where will the funeral take place?
A Church of England funeral doesn’t have to be in church, although you may like to hold it there. The service can also take place at the crematorium, a green burial site or a council cemetery for example.
What will happen in the service?
The Church of England funeral service is very adaptable with lots of different prayers to choose from. This means that it can be tailored to the individual and their beliefs. It is suitable for both someone who didn’t go to church but had an understanding of God or someone with a very strong faith who was a regular church goer as it is very flexible. There will be time to give thanks for the person you are remembering, space to pray, think and reflect, and your loved one will be entrusted into God’s care.
We aim to be as accommodating as possible so you can really personalise the funeral to reflect who your loved one was. You might want to include some of the following: hymns, popular or classical music on CD, photographs, poems, personal reflections, objects which meant something to or symbolised your loved one. The dress of those attending can be anything you like, traditional black, colourful, sports team etc. Just speak to us and we’ll help with your ideas wherever we can.
Graveyard Guidelines
If you have chosen to bury your loved please see the Graveyard Leaflet…
