To reserve the church for a Funeral Mass, kindly contact the parish office at 281-391-4758. If a loved one passes away over the weekend, please call our emergency number at 713-787-3930. An answering service will answer your call and direct you to the on-call priest.

Funeral Arrangements

First Step

Your first step in planning a Funeral is to call a local Funeral Home. 

If you decide to have a Mass of Christian Burial in the church, the Funeral Home will contact the church to arrange the day and time of the Mass of Christian Burial.

In our archdiocese, priests cannot celebrate masses at funeral homes.

However, at the funeral home, the priest or deacon may lead prayers, proclaim the Word of God, and preach and bless the deceased's body, but there is no Mass with consecration and  Holy Communion at the funeral home.

If you wish to celebrate the funeral within Holy Mass, you must request the funeral home to bring the deceased's body to the church.

A funeral typically consists of three main parts:

  1. Wake, Vigil, and Rosary at the funeral home in the afternoon or evening.

  2. Mass of Christian Burial in the church or Service in the Funeral Home in the morning or afternoon.

  3. Burial Rite at the cemetery. 

Second Step – Readings and Prayers
If you decide to have a Funeral Mass, a member of our staff may assist you in selecting the readings. Readings from the New Testament during Easter Time: Only these readings may be selected as the First Reading during Easter Time: 

1. Acts 10:34-43 (short form, 10:34-36, 42-43)
2. Revelation 14:13
3. Revelation 20:11—21:1
4. Revelation 21:1-5a, 6b-7

CREMATION
If the deceased will be cremated,  the Mass of Christian Burial is celebrated with the cremated remains present.  Church law requires the cremated remains to rest in consecrated ground, either buried or kept in a mausoleum.

CELEBRATING THE MASS OF CHRISTIAN BURIAL
Liturgical signs and symbols affirm our Christian belief during the celebration of the Mass of Christian Burial:

• The priest receives the coffin of the deceased at the front door.
• The casket is sprinkled with holy water, reminding us of the saving waters of baptism.
• The casket is covered in a special cloth called a pall. The funeral pall reminds us of the white garment worn at baptism when we were born into eternal life.
• The Easter candle is lit in the center aisle, reminding us of Christ's presence among the Christian community. It signifies His victory over sin and death and our share in the victory through baptism.
• Incense is burned to honor the deceased's body and symbolizes our prayers for rising to heaven before God. The body of the deceased became the temple of the Holy Spirit at baptism. Incense symbolizes purification, sanctification, and the prayers of the faithful. The smoke from the incense symbolizes God's the sweetness of His presence. The smoke is also a sign of prayers rising up to God so that blessings can come down.

• Church: A donation for the church is suggested but not mandatory.
• Clergy: a free-will donation is welcome but not mandatory.
• Music: The deceased's family will hire and pay for the musicians directly. The Parish Organist and parish Cantor are required for all funerals at St. Bartholomew. Other musicians may be added, and their fees are to be coordinated with the music director at isaac@st-bart.org