Funerals

The loss of a loved one can be a time of great strain. It is a time in life when we rely deeply on the support of family and friends. In the case of a family bereavement the clergy at Saint Mary’s are always happy to come and visit. If you live within the parish of Upton cum Chalvey, then please do not hesitate to contact them, by telephone or online. If you need to arrange a funeral, you should first of all contact your local funeral director who will then contact the clergy directly.

For Christians, the time of our final farewell to a member of our family, or a close friend, should also be a time for rejoicing, and give reason for new hope: At the time of saying farewell we also come together to give thanks for a life — however long — and to comfort one another in our grief. We do this by praying together, by sharing our memories, and by hearing what Scripture says about death and resurrection. Christians believe that through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, death ‘has lost its sting’ (1 Cor. 15.55) and that those who die are safe, in the hands of God ‘where no torment will ever touch them’ (Wisdom 3.1-3). In the eyes of the world, they have come to the end of their journey. For Christians that journey is just unfolding.