We celebrate and honor those who have died with the celebration of a Christian funeral. The Church, in celebrating a funeral, recognizes the fulfillment of the deceased person’s sacramental journey of hope that began at Baptism. This is why we say funerals, even though they are a sad event, are also a celebration of our hope in Christ.

The catechism reminds us in paragraph 1681 that “The Christian meaning of death is revealed in the light of the Paschal mystery of the death and resurrection of Christ in whom resides our only hope. The Christian who dies in Christ Jesus is "away from the body and at home with the Lord."’