Arrange a Funeral

Funerals are typically arranged through the Funeral Homes that are chosen by the families.

Please also feel free to reach out directly our office manager at any time.
officemanager@newmanniu.org.

Christ the Teacher University Parish has liturgy guidelines to follow in order to celebrate the Funeral Mass in the Catholic Church and more specifically within the Rockford Diocese.

Family members or friends of the deceased are encouraged to proclaim the first two readings. Generally, it is good to select a person who has some public speaking experience to proclaim the readings. The priest or deacon always proclaims the Gospel. If you wish to use a favorite Scripture reading not listed below, the reading must first be approved by our pastor, and the translation must be taken from the Catholic “New American Bible”. ​

First Readings
Second Readings
Gospels
Prayers of the Faithful

The music selection sheet contains songs permitted during the funeral Mass and can be used to aid with music selection for the Mass.

Newman Center has musicians available for hire, including singers, instrumentalists and piano accompanists. If you would like to have musicians take part in the funeral Mass who are not from Newman, those musicians must be approved by the Director of Music.

If you have questions or special requests for other songs, please contact the Director of Music, Caleb Gray, at music@newmanniu.org.

We ask that you give all fees to the office manager or priest before the Mass begins. If you are working with a Funeral Home, they will take care of these details. The fees are below:
​​
Presider: $100 suggested offering
Organist: $100
Cantor: $100
Instrumentalist, if applicable: $100
Altar Servers: $10 for each