Each priest who serves or lives in the Diocese of San Angelo is encouraged to give attention to personal stewardship in healthcare and death matters. This applies to diocesan priests, extern priests, and religious priests. Written instructions, advance directives, and Wills should be prepared. Copies should be given to all who need to know, including the Diocesan Pastoral Center (to the chancellor), to be kept on file in case of need.
The following documents are expected:
Up-to-date Curriculum Vitae and picture
Durable Power of Attorney for Financial Matters (someone to help the priest in financial matters while he is alive but incapacitated; this must be prepared by an attorney)
Advance Directive to Physicians (the priest’s wishes for healthcare in a critical situation. (Forms are available from the chancellor.)
Funeral instructions (Who should be called? Who makes arrangements? What are the priest’s wishes? Where is the body to be buried? Forms are available from the chancellor). A pre-need funeral and burial contract are helpful. Contact the funeral home for this matter.
Will (The priest’s Last Will and Testament should be on file in the Diocesan Pastoral Center, or a note should be in the file as to where the Will is located. Who is the executor of the priest’s estate?) The Will should be prepared by an attorney.
The Funeral Instructions must be reviewed at least every five years, at retirement, and when there is a parish assignment change.
Barring special requests, diocesan priests who are active in the diocese and succumb while assigned are to be buried from the parish church at which they served. Retired priests of the diocese should designate a location. Should the desired location change for a good reason or if a location has not been designated, the cathedral church will be the designated site.
Upon the death of a priest, active or retired, the diocesan bishop or his representative must be notified immediately. No arrangements are to be made without the diocesan bishop, the deceased's family, and the executor of his estate being notified and consulted. Any special wishes made before death must be honored if possible.
The body of the deceased, after proper preparation by the funeral director and vesting, will be taken to the church mentioned in #2 (above) for viewing by the laity.
The evening before interment, a vigil for the deceased (with a laity in attendance) is prayed. The leader will be the diocesan bishop or his designated representative. The custom of having the priest’s body lie in state overnight in the Church after the vigil is commendable when possible.
The diocesan bishop or his designated representative celebrates a Funeral Mass on the day of interment. In the spirit of fraternal charity, priests of the diocese, both diocesan and religious, are invited to concelebrate the Funeral Mass.
The diocesan bishop will either himself give the Wake Service and Funeral Mass homilies or, at his discretion, select a priest or a deacon skilled in preaching and who had been associated with the deceased (in some manner) to deliver this homily, assuming the deceased had not designated someone.
The chancellor will make the necessary arrangements with an appropriate funeral home, always respecting the deceased priest's final wishes.
The diocesan Liturgical Commission is in charge of planning and directing the funeral rites. A member of the commission will be assigned as a coordinator of each funeral.
The Diocesan Pastoral Center staff will notify the Diocese's priests via email about the dates and times for the funeral services.
The diocesan bishop or his designated representative will conduct the final commendation in the church and the Rite of Committal at the cemetery.
A burial plot will be provided at Calvary Cemetery in San Angelo for the burial of diocesan priests unless the deceased has indicated or arranged for an alternative burial site.
It is expected that besides the diocesan bishop, the vicar general, the vicar for priests, the local dean, and the chancellor of the diocese will be in attendance at all funeral services mentioned above. All other priests of the diocese are to make every effort to attend and concelebrate the Funeral Mass.
It is appropriate that after the notification of a priest’s or deacon's death, each priest should offer three Masses for the deceased as soon as conveniently possible. It is also appropriate that after the notification of a priest's or deacon's death, each permanent deacon should request three Masses for the intention of the deceased. Extern and religious priests serving in the Diocese of San Angelo are encouraged to celebrate Masses according to their constitutions, rules, and traditions of their particular order, community, or diocese. In this way, the unity and brotherhood of members of the clergy in the Diocese of San Angelo is expressed in a meaningful manner.
All of the above may apply to religious priests serving the Diocese of San Angelo in keeping with the constitution, rules, and traditions of the particular religious order or community.
The Diocese of San Angelo has established a self-funded Priests' Funeral Fund. The Priests' Funeral Fund was established to pay the reasonable funeral expenses incurred for a priest's funeral.
The diocesan bishop makes arrangements with the funeral home, taking into account the priest's written instructions.
The funeral expenses to be paid from the Priests' Funeral Fund could include, but are not limited to, the following:
Basic services fee for the funeral director and staff
Transfer of remains, including overseas shipment
Embalming
Facility and staff for viewing
Facility and staff for funeral
Hearse
Police escort
Casket or urn
Vault or liner (if required by the cemetery or civil authorities)
Cremation fee
Cost of lot or crypt (if priest does not already own one)
Opening and closing of plot
Marker/monument
Publication of obituaries
Other reasonable expenses
Prearrangement costs approved by the diocesan bishop may be paid from the Priests' Funeral Fund.
Arrangement for funeral expenses for one who has lost the clerical state are solely the responsibility of the family or estate.
The diocesan bishop reserves the right to make the final decisions regarding all funeral arrangements.
The priest's family or the priest's estate will pay for expenses over and above what the diocese deems reasonable.
The Director of Communications is to prepare a deceased priest's obituary from the data recorded in the priest’s file located under the heading INFORMATION FOR MY OBITUARY. (Forms may be obtained by contacting the chancellor’s office.)
The obituary should include the priest's date and place of birth, education (including the seminary attended), ordination date and place, assignments, next of kin, time and location of the services (to include Wake Service, Mass of Christian Burial, and interment). The obituary should be posted on the diocesan website. It should also be sent to the newspapers of the cities of his assignments and the diocese's major papers. An included message must request that the obituary be printed for two days: the day of the Wake Service and the day of the Christian Burial Mass. If some assignment cities do not have daily newspapers, the obituary must be run as soon as possible. The Diocese of San Angelo will pay for obituaries.
In no case should the obituary be prepared by a funeral home. In addition, the funeral home should be directed NOT to forward obituaries to the media.