Ohio bishop ends funeral visitations in churches, citing liturgical directives

(OSV News) -- Bishop David J. Bonnar of Youngstown, Ohio, has moved to end holding funeral visitations in Catholic churches in that diocese, citing the proper understanding of the Catholic funeral liturgy rubrics -- as well as the disruption such viewings can cause in sacred spaces.

The move comes amid a broader effort by the bishop to establish a uniform policy for such visitations throughout the diocese, one that "would best reflect Church teaching and give both due respect to our church buildings and the deceased as well," said the bishop.

The decision was announced Oct. 28 in a letter from Bishop Bonnar to the faithful, as well as in a diocesan press release issued that same day, with the bishop's Oct. 27 decree taking effect Dec. 1.

The bishop noted he had for the past year examined the matter in consultation with "our funeral directors, presbyteral council, and deans."

In his letter, Bishop Bonnar reflected on what he called "a definite and growing trend" -- discerned by parish life and bereavement pastoral care leaders -- of holding both the visitation (sometimes known as a wake) in the church prior to the funeral liturgy.

He noted the trend -- which has come to supplant earlier practices of holding wakes at private and, later, funeral homes -- "can be attributed to several factors," including convenience and cost-cutting.

Bishop Bonnar clarified that in some churches, such visitations are not possible, due either to the building being "unsuitable for such an arrangement," or the decision of the pastor to prohibit the practice "out of respect for the sacredness of the church."

But where visitations are held in churches, a number of concerns arise -- among them, the risk that "the sacred space is compromised by noise and activity unbecoming of the reverence due to the Blessed Sacrament," he said.

"The recent National Eucharistic Revival called a greater attention to the Holy Eucharist and the need to practice and maintain proper respect and reverence," wrote Bishop Bonnar. "While we pray for the dead in our churches, they are not meant to be a funeral home."

He stressed that "the church building is where the community gathers to hear the Word of God, to pray together, receive the sacraments and to celebrate Holy Eucharist," a place that is "both the house of God on earth and a house fit for prayer."

Bishop Bonnar pointed to the Catholic Church's Order of Christian Funerals, which "serves as a guide in the discernment of this matter."

The order makes clear that "we celebrate the funeral rites to offer worship, praise and thanksgiving to God for the gift of a life which has now been returned to God, the author of life and the hope of the just," he said, stressing that "having funeral visitation in one of our churches is not in keeping with the spirit of the Order of Christian Funerals."

Citing the Catechism of the Catholic Church (1686), he explained that Catholic funeral liturgy is actually comprised of three parts, which take place at "the home, the church and the cemetery."

The vigil "involves the prayers to be prayed during the visitation in the funeral home," said Bishop Bonnar.

The second part of the liturgy, the transfer of the body to the church, by definition "clearly indicates that the ritual does not envision a viewing in the church building," he wrote.

"The only exception to this practice is when a priest or religious dies," in which case the body "is customarily placed in the church/chapel for public visitation," Bishop Bonnar clarified, adding, "This is a tradition of the Church that will continue to be practiced in the Diocese of Youngstown."

"Please know that as bishop I have a responsibility to ensure the sacredness of our church buildings with proper reverence for the Holy Eucharist. Moreover, I cannot allow a trend to compromise the spirit of the Order of Christian Funerals," said Bishop Bonnar.

He called on the faithful to "continue to prayerfully remember our beloved dead," and -- following the traditional prayer for the deceased -- added, "Together, let us pray, 'That all may be one.'"