Help students understand how Catholic communities express grief, honour the dead, and affirm hope in eternal life with this Lesson Pack for 1.3.2b: Catholic Mourning and Funeral Practices. This carefully designed lesson explores the theological meaning behind Catholic mourning rituals and funeral rites, encouraging both empathy and evaluative thinking.
Learners will understand:
The Importance of Mourning and Funeral Practices
Committing a person’s body to God
Giving thanks for a person’s life
Celebrating and remembering the life of the deceased
Using signs and symbols (e.g. candles, black clothing, flowers) to express deeper meaning
Reinforcing Catholic beliefs about life after death and eternal life with God
Catholic Mourning Practices
mass for the deceased
Reciting prayers for the deceased
Catholic Funeral Practices
Vigil service – A time of prayer and reflection the night before
Requiem service (funeral service) – Includes hymns, prayers, scripture readings, and a eulogy
Burial or cremation followed by the rite of committal, returning the body to the earth in trust of resurrection
Suitable for:
WJEC GCSE Religious Studies (from 2025)
KS4 RE lessons on death, grief, and beliefs
PSHE or cross-curricular sessions on bereavement
Cover and revision lessons
Help students understand how Catholic communities express grief, honour the dead, and affirm hope in eternal life with this Lesson Pack for 1.3.2b: Catholic Mourning and Funeral Practices. This carefully designed lesson explores the theological meaning behind Catholic mourning rituals and funeral rites, encouraging both empathy and evaluative thinking.
Learners will understand:
The Importance of Mourning and Funeral Practices
Committing a person’s body to God
Giving thanks for a person’s life
Celebrating and remembering the life of the deceased
Using signs and symbols (e.g. candles, black clothing, flowers) to express deeper meaning
Reinforcing Catholic beliefs about life after death and eternal life with God
Catholic Mourning Practices
mass for the deceased
Reciting prayers for the deceased
Catholic Funeral Practices
Vigil service – A time of prayer and reflection the night before
Requiem service (funeral service) – Includes hymns, prayers, scripture readings, and a eulogy
Burial or cremation followed by the rite of committal, returning the body to the earth in trust of resurrection
Suitable for:
WJEC GCSE Religious Studies (from 2025)
KS4 RE lessons on death, grief, and beliefs
PSHE or cross-curricular sessions on bereavement
Cover and revision lessons
