Funerals

Eventually death touches all of us, and the Church has an important place in supporting people through this difficult time.

A funeral marks the close of a human life on earth and as well as being a time to say goodbye to our loved ones and express our grief, it is also the opportunity for friends and family to celebrate and give thanks for the life that has ended and commend the person into God’s keeping. We can also thank God that because of the death and resurrection of Jesus, death need not have the final word and that eternal life is available to us all.

If you need to arrange a funeral then this is done primariily through your chosen Funeral Director. However if you wish to speak to the vicar first his number is 07972 107146.

A Funeral service can take place in our churches of St. Johns, St. Mary’s or St. Paul’s, or in the chapels at the local authority crematoria and cemeteries.  The clergy of Mirfield Team Parish will be happy to officiate at funerals at any of these places.

People who live in the parish have a right to have their funeral at any of the parish churches even if they have not been a church-goer during their life.  

To arrange a Funeral you will need to appoint a funeral director and they will liaise with the clergy on your behalf to agree the date and time of the funeral.  If you want a different person, a vicar from a different parish for instance, to take the service, this should be sorted out before any other funeral arrangements are made to make sure they are available.  Otherwise, it doesn’t matter whether you speak to the clergy or the funeral director first – for many people it is a matter of starting with what they feel they can cope with first.

The clergy see the taking of funerals and the comforting of those who mourn as important parts of their work.  They give a lot of time to visiting families, comforting those who are facing loss, finding out what they want including in the funeral service and helping them to arrange it.  To arrange the details of the service, the clergy will make an appointment to meet up with you.  If they did not know the dead person, then they will ask you to provide details.

The funeral director plays a very important part in all these arrangements and will want to know if the funeral is to be in the church or if the clergy are to take the service in the crematorium.  Funeral directors know the local clergy, the local cemeteries and the crematoria.  As part of a national network of funeral directors, they can, if necessary, give advice on funerals in other parts of the country, as well as on costs and fees.

There are certain advantages to having a funeral in church.  A service at a local crematorium / cemetery chapel is normally restricted to a maximum time of 20 minutes.  Many people feel this provides insufficient time, and also leads to the whole service feeling rushed.  By coming to church prior to the committal service there is a greater opportunity to commemorate your loved one’s life more fully, as we can agree a length of time for the service which fits your requirements.

Another practical advantage is the larger size of a church compared to most crematorium / cemetery chapels.  If you are expecting many mourners to the funeral, we are able to accommodate a much larger congregation. (Up to 300 in St. Mary’s 150 in St. Paul’s and 120 in St. John’s)

Both St. Mary's and St. John's have open graveyards and Garden's of Rest for the people of Mirfield and district.  If you would like to arrange for a burial or the burial of ashes please just contact the vicar.

For the placing of memorial stones and plaques in both the Graveyard and the Garden permision has to be given before any works are done.  To see the range of options as to size, material and other things that are allowed please take a look at the information booklet which can be downloaded below or found in the web site.