There tends to be some confusion regarding eulo- gies at a Catholic funeral. In 1989 the Vatican pub- lished the revised Order of Funerals (OC) for the United States. The long-standing prohibition of eulo- gies at Catholic funerals was again upheld and re- stated. “A brief homily based on the readings should always be given at the funeral liturgy, but never any kind of eulogy.” (OCF #141)

The firm belief of the Catholic Church is that the Christian funeral is not a celebration of the life of the person who has died, even though we honor and express gratitude for all God’s gifts to that per-

son. “The funeral liturgy is a celebration of salvation and mercy, of grace and eternal life.” It is not meant to be a commemoration...the focus is on God’s com- passionate love and on the Paschal Mystery of the Lord, as proclaimed in the Scripture readings.” (OCF #27) From July 6th 2014 Bulletin