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The Difference Between a Memorial
Service and a Funeral Service
By Carole Galassi
What is the difference between a memorial service and a
funeral service? You may have heard of these two terms
intermixed if you have ever attended any type of
service. They are not one and the same. In fact, they
are quite different.
A memorial service typically occurs anytime after the
deceased death, that could mean a week, a month, and
even years after. These type of ceremonies are focused
on remembering the deceased and generally have a more
upbeat tone and less structured than the traditional
funeral service.
The body is not present and which can mean that the
deceased pass away quite some time ago or has been
cremated. It can be informal or more formalized if the
family desires. A funeral service service is much more
structured in form and presentation. The officiant can
be a pastor of a church, friend or relative. Some also
refer to this as a celebration service because there is
hope in knowing the deceased has gone to a higher place
such as heaven.
Typically, funeral services that are structured or
formal are practiced in certain denominations such as
the Catholic Church. It also is done within a week of
the death. The body is present in these type of services
and may or may not have an open casket for viewing.
Funeral services have a specific order that is followed
for the funeral ritual. The officiant is typically a
member of the clergy of the church that is holding the
service.
For more great memorial service resources, visit The
Funeral Program Site. There is also a beautiful
selection of templates for funeral programs, funeral
prayer cards, thank you cards, memorial bookmarks, and
booklets. |
