Last Rites & Funerals

The Rite of Christian Burial and Funeral Liturgies may be scheduled by calling the Basilica Office at 423-266-1618. See Documents above for more information.

The Divine Mercy Chaplet

The Divine Mercy Chaplet is recommended to be prayed for the soul of the dying and those who have recently died. 

How to Pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet (USCCB)

Burial 

You are invited to consider purchasing a plot or a niche at Mount Olivet Catholic Cemetery alongside generations of Chattanooga Catholics.  

Cremation

From the U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' website article on Bereavement and Funerals:

The Church earnestly recommends that the pious custom of burying the bodies of the deceased be observed; nevertheless, the Church does not prohibit cremation unless it was chosen for reasons contrary to Christian doctrine. (canon 1176.3)

While the Church continues to hold a preference for corporeal burial, cremation has become part of Catholic practice in the United States and the around the world.

The Church's reverence and care for the body grows out of a reverence and concern for the person whom the Church now commends to the care of God. This is the body once washed in baptism, anointed with the oil of salvation, and fed with the bread of life. This is the body whose hands clothed the poor and embraced the sorrowing. The human body is so inextricably associated with the human person that it is hard to think of a human person apart from his or her body.

In April 1997, the Holy See granted an indult for the United States to allow the diocesan bishop to permit the presence of the cremated remains of a body at a Funeral Mass. Later that year, they confirmed the special texts and ritual directives, which were then published as an appendix to the Order of Christian Funerals.

However, the Order of Christian Funerals' Appendix on Cremation states: "Although cremation is now permitted by the Church, it does not enjoy the same value as burial of the body. The Church clearly prefers and urges that the body of the deceased be present for the funeral rites, since the presence of the human body better expresses the values which the Church affirms in those rites" (no. 413).

The growing interest in and desire for cremation continues to remain a question in the minds of many Catholics. Resources on this website are available to help better explain and deepen the Catholic understanding of cremation as an option for the final disposition of the body.

Read More 
Cremation and the Order of Christian Funerals from the Newsletter of the Committee on Divine Worship (January 2012)

Our St. Mary Magdalene Bereavement Ministry provides accompaniment to all who have experienced the loss of a loved one. We have a grief support program that assists with resources that can help the bereaved. If you would like to learn more, please contact the parish office. 

About Funerals and the Sacrament of Baptism for Children:

1284 In case of necessity, any person can baptize provided that he have the intention of doing that which the Church does and provided that he pours water on the candidate's head while saying: "I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."

1261 As regards children who have died without Baptism, the Church can only entrust them to the mercy of God, as she does in her funeral rites for them. Indeed, the great mercy of God who desires that all men should be saved, and Jesus' tenderness toward children which caused him to say: "Let the children come to me, do not hinder them," allow us to hope that there is a way of salvation for children who have died without Baptism. All the more urgent is the Church's call not to prevent little children coming to Christ through the gift of holy Baptism.

• For the Ordinary Form, the Funeral Rite for Baptized and Unbaptized Children may be used (this rite includes choices of readings).
• The Extraordinary Form offers an option of a Rite for the Burial of a Child (from the Parish Ritual), outside of the Mass.

Annual Moments to Share Candle Lighting Service of Remembrance in Honor of Babies 

co-hosted by Erlanger Health System and the Basilica

Each year on the first Wednesday of December, the Basilica co-hosts an ecumenical service in remembrance of babies who died before, during, or after birth. This service is open to every one in the community, regardless of whether their loss was recent or long ago. Watch for announcements each year.