Into your hands, O merciful Savior, we commend your servant N. Acknowledge, we humbly beseech you, a sheep of your own fold, a lamb of your own flock, a sinner of your own redeeming. Receive him into the arms of your mercy, into the blessed rest of everlasting peace, and into the glorious company of the saints in light…. May his soul and the souls of all the departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen. (A Commendatory Prayer from The Book of Common Prayer, 1979.)
A funeral is a solemn occasion, often marked with sadness and occasionally joy as we say good-bye to a loved one or friend. As Christians, we believe that death does not have the final say, and that a person’s life is changed, not ended, and they come more fully into the promise of everlasting life in Jesus Christ our Lord. As such, Christian burial is a time when we worship God for the gift of salvation from death, we share the promises of our faith, and we commend the dead to God.
Baptized Christians are properly buried from the Church.
Please contact the Parish Office for more information on having a funeral at St. Mark’s.