MASS OF CHRISTIAN BURIAL

AND
RITE OF COMMITAL

OF

REV. FR. MARIO S. SANCHEZ

JUNE 5, 2023

HOLY SPIRIT PARISH

DIOCESE OF NOVALICHES
 The Introductory Rites
Sign of the Cross and Greeting
Bishop Gaa:
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

All answer:
Amen.

Bishop Gaa:
Peace be with you.

All answer:
And with your spirit.

Sprinkling with Holy Water

Bishop Gaa:
In the waters of baptism, Mario died with Christ and rose with him
to new life. May he now share with him eternal glory.

Placing of the Pall

Placing of Christian Symbols

The symbols are placed in silence, or, if deemed appropriate, as the following texts are
said:

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 Book of the Gospels:
In life Mario cherished the Gospel of Christ.
May Christ now greet him with these words of eternal life:
Come, blessed of my Father!

Cross:
In baptism Mario, your priest received the sign of the cross.
May he now share
in Christ’s victory over sin and death.

Collect
The Bishop, with hands extended, sings the Collect:

Let us pray.
Grant, we pray, O Lord,
that the soul of Mario, your servant and Priest,
whom you honored with sacred office
while he lived in this world,
may exult for ever in the glorious home of heaven.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.

All: Amen.

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 The Liturgy of the Word
First Reading
Wis 3:1-9

A reading from the Book of Wisdom

The souls of the just are in the hand of God,

and no torment shall touch them.
They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead;
and their passing away was thought an affliction
and their going forth from us, utter destruction.
But they are in peace.
For if before men, indeed they be punished,
yet is their hope full of immortality;
Chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed,
because God tried them
and found them worthy of himself.
As gold in the furnace, he proved them,
and as sacrificial offerings he took them to himself.
[In the time of their visitation they shall shine,
and shall dart about as sparks through stubble;
They shall judge nations and rule over peoples,
and the LORD shall be their King forever.]
Those who trust in him shall understand truth,
and the faithful shall abide with him in love:
Because grace and mercy are with his holy ones,
and his care is with his elect.

The Word of the Lord.

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All: Thanks be to God
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 23:1-3, 4, 5, 6

R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

in verdant pastures he gives me repose;
Beside restful waters he leads me;
he refreshes my soul.
He guides me in right paths
for his name’s sake.

R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

Even though I walk in the dark valley

I fear no evil; for you are at my side
With your rod and your staff
that give me courage.

R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

You spread the table before me

in the sight of my foes;
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.

R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

Only goodness and kindness follow me

all the days of my life;
And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
for years to come.

R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

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Second Reading
1 Cor 15:51-57

A reading from the First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians

Brothers and sisters:

Behold, I tell you a mystery.
We shall not all fall asleep, but we will all be changed,
in an instant, in the blink of an eye, at the last trumpet.
For the trumpet will sound,
the dead will be raised incorruptible,
and we shall be changed.
For that which is corruptible must clothe itself with incorruptibility,
and that which is mortal must clothe itself with immortality.
And when this which is corruptible clothes itself with incorruptibility
and this which is mortal clothes itself with immortality,
then the word that is written shall come about:

Death is swallowed up in victory.

Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?

The sting of death is sin,

and the power of sin is the law.
But thanks be to God who gives us the victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Word of the Lord.

All: Thanks be to God

Verse Before the Gospel

John 3:16

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God loved the world so much, he gave us his only Son,
that all who believe in him might have eternal life.
Gospel
Jn. 11:21-27

The Bishop puts incense into the thurible. After this, the Deacon who is to proclaim the
Gospel, bowing profoundly before the Bishop, asks for the blessing, saying in a low
voice:
Your blessing, Most Reverend Father.

The Bishop says in a low voice:

May the Lord be in your heart and on your lips,
that you may proclaim his Gospel worthily and well,
in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit.

The Deacon signs himself with the Sign of the Cross and replies:
Amen.

The Deacon then proceeds to the ambo, accompanied, if appropriate, by ministers with
incense and candles. There he says:

V: The Lord be with you.

R: And with your spirit.
V: A reading from the Holy Gospel according to John
R: Glory to you, O Lord.

Martha said to Jesus,

"Lord, if you had been here,
my brother would not have died.
But even now I know that whatever you ask of God,
God will give you."
Jesus said to her,
"Your brother will rise."
Martha said to him,
"I know he will rise,
in the resurrection on the last day."
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Jesus told her,
"I am the resurrection and the life;
whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live,
and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.
Do you believe this?"
She said to him, "Yes, Lord.
I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God,
the one who is coming into the world."

The Gospel of the Lord.

All: Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ

After the reading of the Gospel, the Gospel Acclamation is again sung. Then, the
deacon, carrying once more the Book of the Gospels in procession, goes to the Bishop,
and hands him the Book of the Gospels. Upon receiving the Book of the Gospels, the
Bishop kisses the book, blesses the people with the book, while saying in a low voice:

Through the words of the Gospel may our sins be wiped away.

Homily

Prayers of the Faithful

Bishop Gaa:
God, the almighty Father, raised Christ his Son from the dead; with
confidence we ask him to save all his people, living and dead:

R: Lord, hear our prayer.

1. For our brother Mario, who served the Church as a priest, that he
may be given a place in the liturgy of heaven. We pray.

2. For the family and friends of your priest Mario, that they may be
consoled in their grief by the Lord who wept at the death of his
friend Lazarus. We pray.

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 3. For our deceased relatives and friends, especially all the departed
priests and religious in the Diocese of Novaliches, that they may
have the reward of their goodness. We pray.

4. For those who have fallen asleep in the hope of rising again, that
they may see God face to face. We pray.

5. For all of us assembled here to worship in faith, that we may be

gathered together again in God’s kingdom. We pray.

Bishop Gaa:
God, our shelter and our strength,
You listen in love to the cry of your people:
hear the prayers we offer for our departed brothers and sisters.
Cleanse them of their sins
and grant them the fullness of redemption.
Through Christ our Lord.

All:
Amen.

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 The Liturgy of the Eucharist

Preparation of the Altar and the Gifts

The altar is prepared for the Liturgy of the Eucharist, as the bread and wine are brought
forward by members of the congregation. Once the altar is ready, the Bishop
approaches the altar, holds the paten slightly raised above the altar, saying in a low
voice:

Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation,

for through your goodness we have received
the bread we offer you:
fruit of the earth and work of human hands,
it will become for us the bread of life.

Then he places the paten with the bread on the corporal.

The Deacon pours wine and a little water into the chalice, saying quietly:

By the mystery of this water and wine

may we come to share in the divinity of Christ
who humbled himself to share in our humanity.

The Bishop then takes the chalice and holds it slightly raised above the altar with both
hands, saying in a low voice:
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 Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation,
for through your goodness we have received
the wine we offer you:
fruit of the vine and work of human hands,
it will become our spiritual drink.

Then he places the chalice on the corporal.

All: Blessed be God for ever.

The Bishop, then bowing slightly, says the following:

With humble spirit and contrite heart

may we be accepted by you, O Lord,
and may our sacrifice in your sight this day
be pleasing to you, Lord God.

If appropriate, he also incenses the offerings, the cross, and the altar. A Deacon or other
minister then incenses the Bishop, the concelebrants, and the people.

Then the Bishop, standing at the side of the altar, washes his hands, saying quietly:
Wash me, O Lord, from my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.

Standing at the middle of the altar, facing the people, extending and then joining his
hands, he says:

Pray, brethren (brothers and sisters),

that my sacrifice and yours
may be acceptable to God,
the almighty Father.

All:
May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands
for the praise and glory of his name,
for our good and the good of all his holy Church.

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Prayer over the Offerings
Bishop Gaa:
Grant, we pray, almighty God,
that through these holy mysteries
Mario, your servant and Priest,
may behold with clarity for ever
what he faithfully ministered here.
Through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

The principal concelebrants now approach the altar for the Eucharistic Prayer.

Preface
The Hope of Resurrection in Christ

V. The Lord be with you.

R. And with your spirit.
V. Lift up your hearts.
R. We lift them up to the Lord.
V. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
IR. It is right and just.

t is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation,

always and everywhere to give you thanks,
Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God,
through Christ our Lord.

In him the hope of blessed resurrection has dawned,

that those saddened by the certainty of dying
might be consoled by the promise of immortality to come.
Indeed, for your faithful, Lord,
life is changed not ended,
and, when this earthly dwelling turns to dust,

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 an eternal dwelling is made ready for them in heaven.

And so, with Angels and Archangels,

with Thrones and Dominions,
and with all the hosts and Power of heaven,
we sing the hymn of your glory,
as without end we acclaim:

Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of hosts . . .

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 The Eucharistic Prayer
The Priest, with hands extended, says:
You are indeed Holy, O Lord, Celebrant alone
and all you have created
rightly gives you praise,
for through your Son our Lord Jesus Christ,
by the power and working of the Holy Spirit,
you give life to all things and make them holy,
and you never cease to gather a people to yourself,
so that from the rising of the sun to its setting
a pure sacrifice may be offered to your name.
He joins his hands and, holding them extended over the offerings, says:
Therefore, O Lord, we humbly implore you: Celebrant
by the same Spirit graciously make holy with concelebrants
these gifts we have brought to you for consecration,
He joins his hands
and makes the Sign of the Cross once over the bread and chalice together, saying:
that they may become the Body and Blood
of your Son our Lord Jesus Christ,
He joins his hands.
at whose command we celebrate these mysteries.
In the formulas that follow, the words of the Lord should be pronounced clearly and distinctly,
as the nature of these words requires.
For on the night he was betrayed
He takes the bread and, holding it slightly raised above the altar, continues:
he himself took bread,
and, giving you thanks, he said the blessing,
broke the bread and gave it to his disciples, saying:
He bows slightly.

TAKE THIS, ALL OF YOU, AND EAT OF IT,

FOR THIS IS MY BODY,
WHICH WILL BE GIVEN UP FOR YOU.
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He shows the consecrated host to the people, places it again on the paten, and genuflects
in adoration.

After this, he continues:

In a similar way, when supper was ended,
He takes the chalice and, holding it slightly raised above the altar, continues:
he took the chalice,
and, giving you thanks, he said the blessing,
and gave the chalice to his disciples, saying:
He bows slightly.

TAKE THIS, ALL OF YOU, AND DRINK FROM IT,

FOR THIS IS THE CHALICE OF MY BLOOD,
THE BLOOD OF THE NEW AND ETERNAL COVENANT,
WHICH WILL BE POURED OUT FOR YOU AND FOR MANY
FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS.
DO THIS IN MEMORY OF ME.
He shows the chalice to the people, places it on the corporal, and genuflects in adoration.
Then he says:
The mystery of faith. Celebrant alone

And the people continue, acclaiming:

We proclaim your Death, O Lord,
and profess your Resurrection
until you come again.

Then the Priest, with hands extended, says:

Therefore, O Lord, as we celebrate the memorial Celebrant
of the saving Passion of your Son, with concelebrants

his wondrous Resurrection

and Ascension into heaven,
and as we look forward to his second coming,
we offer you in thanksgiving
this holy and living sacrifice.

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 Look, we pray, upon the oblation of your Church
and, recognizing the sacrificial Victim by whose death
you willed to reconcile us to yourself,
grant that we, who are nourished
by the Body and Blood of your Son
and filled with his Holy Spirit,
may become one body, one spirit in Christ.

May he make of us Celebrant

an eternal offering to you, Or one concelebrant
so that we may obtain an inheritance with your elect,
especially with the most Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God,
with blessed Joseph, her Spouse,
with your blessed Apostles and glorious Martyrs,
and with all the Saints,
on whose constant intercession in your presence
we rely for unfailing help.

May this Sacrifice of our reconciliation, Celebrant

we pray, O Lord, Or one concelebrant
advance the peace and salvation of all the world.
Be pleased to confirm in faith and charity
your pilgrim Church on earth,
with your servant Francis our Pope and Roberto our Bishop,
the Order of Bishops, all the clergy,
and the entire people you have gained for your own.

Listen graciously to the prayers of this family,

whom you have summoned before you:
in your compassion, O merciful Father,
gather to yourself all your children
scattered throughout the world.

Remember your servant and Priest, Mario, Celebrant

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 whom you have called
from this world to yourself.
Grant that he who was united with your Son in a death like his,
may also be one with him in his Resurrection,
when from the earth
he will raise up in the flesh those who have died,
and transform our lowly body
after the pattern of his own glorious body.

To our departed brothers and sisters, too, Celebrant

and to all who were pleasing to you Or one concelebrant
at their passing from this life,
give kind admittance to your kingdom.
There we hope to enjoy for ever the fullness of your glory,
when you will wipe away every tear from our eyes.
For seeing you, our God, as you are,
we shall be like you for all the ages
and praise you without end,

He joins his hands.

through Christ our Lord,
through whom you bestow on the world all that is good.
He takes the chalice and the paten with the host and, raising both, he says:

Through him, and with him, and in him, Celebrant alone

O God, almighty Father, or with concelebrants
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
all glory and honor is yours,
for ever and ever.

The people acclaim:

Amen.

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The Communion Rite
After the chalice and paten have been set down, the Bishop, with hands joined, says:
At the Savior’s command
and formed by divine teaching,
we dare to say:

He extends his hands and, together with the people, continues:

Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,

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 but deliver us from evil.

With hands extended, the Bishop alone continues, saying:

Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil,
graciously grant peace in our days,
that, by the help of your mercy,
we may be always free from sin
and safe from all distress,
as we await the blessed hope
and the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
He joins his hands.
The people conclude the prayer, acclaiming:
For the kingdom,
the power and the glory are yours
now and for ever.
Then the Bishop, with hands extended, says aloud:
Lord Jesus Christ,
who said to your Apostles:
Peace I leave you, my peace I give you,
look not on our sins,
but on the faith of your Church,
and graciously grant her peace and unity
in accordance with your will.

He joins his hands.

Who live and reign for ever and ever.

The people reply:

Amen.
The Priest, turned towards the people, extending and then joining his hands, adds:
The peace of the Lord be with you always.

The people reply:

And with your spirit.

Then, if appropriate, the Deacon, or the Bishop, adds:

Let us offer each other the sign of peace.
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And all offer one another a sign, in keeping with local customs, that expresses peace,
communion, and charity. The Bishop gives the sign of peace to the deacons and concelebrants.

Then the Bishop takes the host, breaks it over the paten, and places a small piece in the chalice,
saying quietly:
May this mingling of the Body and Blood
of our Lord Jesus Christ
bring eternal life to us who receive it.

Meanwhile the following is sung or said:

Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world,
have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world,
have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world,
grant us peace.

The invocation may even be repeated several times if the fraction is prolonged. Only the
final time, however, is grant us peace said.

Then the Bishop, with hands joined, says quietly:

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God,
who, by the will of the Father
and the work of the Holy Spirit,
through your Death gave life to the world,
free me by this, your most holy Body and Blood,
from all my sins and from every evil;
keep me always faithful to your commandments,
and never let me be parted from you.

Or:
May the receiving of your Body and Blood,
Lord Jesus Christ,
not bring me to judgment and condemnation,
but through your loving mercy
be for me protection in mind and body
and a healing remedy.

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The Bishop genuflects, takes the host and, holding it slightly raised above the paten or above
the chalice, while facing the people, says aloud:
Behold the Lamb of God,
behold him who takes away the sins of the world.
Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.
And together with the people he adds once:
Lord, I am not worthy
that you should enter under my roof,
but only say the word
and my soul shall be healed.
The Bishop, facing the altar, says quietly:
May the Body of Christ
keep me safe for eternal life.
And he reverently consumes the Body of Christ.
Then he takes the chalice and says quietly:
May the Blood of Christ
keep me safe for eternal life.
And he reverently consumes the Blood of Christ.

After the distribution of Holy Communion, the vessels are cleansed by the deacons and
instituted acolytes. While he carries out the purification, the deacon says quietly:
What has passed our lips as food, O Lord,
may we possess in purity of heart,
that what has been given to us in time
may be our healing for eternity.

Communion Antiphon
Cf. 4 Esdr 2:34-35

Let perpetual light shine upon them,

with your Saints for ever, for you are merciful.
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon them,
with your Saints for ever, for you are merciful.

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Postcommunion

Then, following a brief period of silence, the commentator invites the people to rise as
the Bishop prays the Prayer after Communion:

Let us pray.
Having received the Sacrament of salvation,
we implore your kindness, O God,
for Mario, your servant and Priest,
that, as you made him a steward of your mysteries on earth,
so you may bring him to be nourished
by their truth and reality as unveiled in heaven.
Through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen

Signing of the Life Testimony of Fr. Mario Sanchez

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 Final Commendation
After the prayer after communion, the bishop goes to a place near the coffin.

Invitation to Prayer

Bishop Gaa:
With faith in Jesus Christ,
we must reverently bury the body of Mario, our brother.
Let us pray with confidence to God,
in whose sight all creation lives,
that he will raise up in holiness and power
the mortal body of our brother
and command his soul to be numbered among the blessed.
May God grant him a merciful judgment,
deliverance from death, and pardon of sin.
May Christ the Good Shepherd carry him
to be at peace with the Father.
May he rejoice for ever in the presence of the eternal King
and in the company of all the saints.

Silence

Signs of Farewell

The coffin is now sprinkled with holy water and incensed.

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Song of Farewell

The song of farewell is then sung. The following may be used or some other song may
be sung.

Saints of God, come to his aid!

Hasten to meet him, angels of the Lord!

R. Receive his soul and present him to God the Most High.

May Christ, who called, you take you to himself;

may angels lead you to the bosom of Abraham. R.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord,

and let perpetual light shine upon him. R.

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Prayer of Commendation

The Bishop, with hands outstretched, says the following:

Into your hands, Father of mercies,
we commend your priest and servant, Mario,
in the sure and certain hope
that, together with all who have died in Christ,
he will rise with him on the last day.

We give you thanks for the blessings

which you bestowed upon him in this life:
they are signs to us of your goodness
and of our fellowship with the saints in Christ.

Merciful Lord,
turn toward us and listen to our prayers:
open the gates of paradise to your priest and servant Mario,
and help us who remain
to comfort one another with assurances of faith,
until we all meet in Christ
and are with you and with our brother for ever.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

The deacon, or if there is no deacon, the bishop himself, says:

In peace, let us take our brother to his place of rest.

If a symbol of the Christian life has been placed on the coffin, it should be removed at
this time. The procession then begins: the Bishop and the assisting ministers precede the
coffin; the family and mourners follow.
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The following antiphon may be sung with verses from Psalm 25:

May the angels lead you into paradise;

may the martyrs come to welcome you
and take you to the holy city,
the new and eternal Jerusalem.

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 Rite of Committal

Invitation

When the funeral procession arrives at the place of committal, the minister says the
following:
Our brother Mario has gone to his rest in the peace of Christ.
May the Lord now welcome him
to the table of God’s children in heaven.
With faith and hope in eternal life,
let us assist him with our prayers.

Let us pray to the Lord also for ourselves.

May we who mourn be reunited with our brother;
together may we meet Christ Jesus
when he who is our life appears in glory.

Scripture Verse

The minister says:

We read in sacred Scripture:

Matthew 25:34
Come you who are blessed by my Father, says the Lord,
inherit the kingdom prepared for you
from the foundation of the world.

Prayer over the Place of Committal

The minister says the following prayer:

Lord Jesus Christ,

By your own three days in the tomb,
you hallowed the graves of all who believe in you

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 and so made the grave a sign of hope
that promises resurrection
even as it claims our mortal bodies.

Grant that our brother may sleep here in peace

until you awaken him to glory,
for you are the resurrection and the life.
Then he will see you face to face
and in your light will see light
and know the splendor of God,
for you live and reign for ever and ever.

All: Amen.

Committal

The minister then says the words of committal.

Because God has chosen to call our brother Mario

from this life to himself,
we commit his body to the earth
for we are dust and unto dust we shall return.

But the Lord Jesus Christ will change our mortal bodies
to be like his in glory,
for he is risen, the firstborn from the dead.

So let us commend our brother to the Lord,

that the Lord may embrace him in peace
and raise up his body on the last day.

The committal takes place at this time or at the conclusion of the rite.

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Intercessions

Minister:
For our brother Mario, let us pray to our Lord Jesus Christ,
who said, “I am the resurrection and the life.
Whoever believes in me shall live even in death
and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die.”

Assisting minister:
Lord, you consoled Marth and Mary in their distress;
draw near to us who mourn for Mario, your servant and priest,
and dry the tears of those who weep. We pray to the Lord:
R. Lord, have mercy.

You raised the dead to life; give our brother eternal life.
We pray to the Lord:
R. Lord, have mercy.

You promised paradise to the repentant thief;

bring Mario your servant and priest to the joys of heaven.
We pray to the Lord:
R. Lord, have mercy.

Our brother was washed in baptism and anointed with the Holy
Spirit; give him fellowship with all your saints. We pray to the Lord:
R. Lord, have mercy.

He ministered to you at your altar; grant him a place at the table

in your heavenly kingdom. We pray to the Lord:
R. Lord, have mercy.

Comfort us in our sorrow at the death of our brother; let our faith be
our consolation, and eternal life our hope. We pray to the Lord:
R. Lord, have mercy.
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The Lord’s Prayer

In following or similar words, the minister invites those present to pray the Lord’s
prayer.
With longing for the coming of God’s kingdom, let us pray:
Or:
At the Savior’s command, and formed by divine teaching,
we dare to say:

Our Father…

Concluding Prayer

God of holiness and power,

Accept our prayers on behalf of your priest and servant Mario;
do not count his deeds against him
for in his heart he desired to do your will.
As his faith united him to your people on earth,
so may your mercy join him to the angels in heaven.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

Prayer over the People

P: The Lord be with you

All: And with your spirit.

Bow down for the blessing.

The minister, with hands outstretched, prays over the people:

Merciful Lord,
you know the anguish of the sorrowful,
you are attentive to the prayers of the humble.
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 Hear your people
who cry out to you in their need,
and strengthen their hope in your lasting goodness.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.

P: Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord.

All: And let perpetual light shine upon him.
P: May he rest in peace.
All: Amen.
P: May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed,
through the mercy of God rest in peace.
All: Amen.

May the peace of God,

which is beyond all understanding,
keep your hearts and minds
in the knowledge and love of God
and of his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
All: Amen.

May almighty God bless you,

the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
All: Amen.

The minister then concludes:

Go in the peace of Christ.

All: Thanks be to God

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