Funerals and Burial

A funeral marks the close of a human life on earth. It is the opportunity for friends and family to express their grief, to give thanks for the life which has now completed its journey in this world and to commend the person into God's keeping.

As far back into history as we can penetrate, human beings seem to have felt the need for a ceremonial leave-taking of those who have died.

The funeral service of the Church of England can be very short and quiet with only a few members of the family present or an occasion of great solemnity with music, hymns and a packed church.

Whether in a parish church or a crematorium chapel, it can be the plain funeral service from the Prayer Book or Common Worship or with the addition of hymns, favourite prayers and readings, an address. It can very appropriately be set into the context of a Communion Service.

Whatever the pattern of service, the words and actions all speak of a loving God and the preciousness to Him of every human being.

At St. Andrew's and St. Michael's we strive to make the service for your loved one as personal and as special as we can.

As part of the Church of England we can only conduct authorised Anglican Services.

What sort of memorial can I errect and what sort of flowers are permitted?

Our churchyards all fall under the Church of England's regulations, you must obtain written permission from the vicar before errecting any monument, this is usually handled by your stone mason, but please ensure that it has been obtained as unauthorised monuments have to be removed. The regulations only permit certain types of floral tributes and only natural flowers, not artificial. Although these regulations seem somewhat prescriptive they enable the churchyards to stay dignified and special places as well as assisting those who maintain the grounds. Valuable and personal items must certainly never be left in a church yard as sadly these days we cannot guarantee their safety. Please do speak to Malcolm Ingham (the vicar) if you have any questions. You will also find the document: Churchyard Regulations, to be of great help and we recomend that you read it before approaching a stone mason.