How to Write & Officiate a Memorial Service

Religious memorial services can bring hope to the grieving congregation.

A memorial service can be one of the more difficult religious or cultural rites to perform. If you were not close to the person who has passed away, it can be tough to write a eulogy that gives enough of a personal touch on the life that has just ended. If you were very close to that person, though, it can be even harder to write a message that you can deliver without breaking into tears. If you're the officiant, though, it's your job to smoothly lead the service.

Instructions

1. Take some time to learn some personal attributes of the deceased if you are not already close to the family. At the viewing, or in the days before the service, talk to family members and find out what they loved and will remember most about the deceased. These can form the themes of the service.

2. Consult with the family to find out what type of service you will be officiating. Will there be a burial as well as a memorial service in a church or funeral home? Will there simply be a cremation followed by a memorial service? What are they expecting you to do at the viewing? These can all differ from memorial to memorial.

3. Enlist family members and friends to deliver eulogies about the deceased, in addition to any homily you have planned. If this is to be a religious service, you will need to deliver a spiritual message appropriate to the beliefs of your faith about death and the afterlife, but what the deceased's closest ones have to say about her will often be the most comforting to those closest to her.

4. Write as much of your own text out before you go into the service. As with weddings, funerals are occasions when many different things can happen at the last minute, resulting in high-stress situations for the family -- and the officiant. Include the deceased's favorite passages from his faith's holy text in memorial if you are officiating a religious service. When appropriate, sung solos of the deceased's favorite hymns or recordings of favorite songs can bring an enriching experience to the service.

References

• Nazarene Preacher; Ten Commandments for Preaching a Funeral; Rev. Danny Goddard; October 14, 2010.
• LatinGuru: How to Officiate a Funeral
• FuneralHelper: How to Officiate