Catholic Funeral Hymns: The Best Songs for Each Part of a Funeral Mass

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Music at a Catholic funeral is a prayer: it expresses grief, but above all faith in the resurrection. Choosing hymns is one of the most personal parts of planning a funeral, and parish musicians are glad to help. Below are the hymns Catholic families choose most often, organized by the part of the Funeral Mass where they are sung, the ancient chants of the funeral liturgy, In paradisum in Latin and English, and what the Church asks of funeral music.

What the Church asks of funeral music

The Order of Christian Funerals asks that music at the funeral liturgy express the Paschal mystery, the death and resurrection of Christ, and the Church’s hope, and that it support the prayer of the whole assembly. Hymns should be sacred music, chosen with the parish musician and the priest. Favorite secular songs, however dear, are better used at the vigil (wake), the reception or a memorial video than at the Mass itself.

See the order of the Catholic funeral Mass for where each part comes.

Entrance (gathering) hymn

Sung as the coffin is brought into the church after the reception at the door.

  • “Holy God, We Praise Thy Name”: the German Großer Gott (Ignaz Franz, 1771), translated by Clarence Walworth (1858)
  • “The King of Love My Shepherd Is”: Henry Williams Baker (1868), a paraphrase of Psalm 23
  • “O God, Our Help in Ages Past”: Isaac Watts (1719)
  • “Be Not Afraid”: Bob Dufford, SJ (1975)
  • “Amazing Grace”: John Newton (1779), widely sung at funerals

Responsorial psalm

The psalm after the first reading is part of the word of God and should be a psalm, not a hymn. The Order of Christian Funerals lists several, including:

  • Psalm 23: “The Lord is my shepherd,” the most popular, often sung as “Shepherd Me, O God” (Marty Haugen, 1986) or to the Scottish tune Crimond
  • Psalm 27: “The Lord is my light and my salvation”
  • Psalm 63: “My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God”
  • Psalm 103: “The Lord is kind and merciful”
  • Psalm 122: “I rejoiced when I heard them say: let us go to the house of the Lord”
  • Psalm 130: “Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord”

See the full list in Catholic funeral readings and our guide to the responsorial psalm.

Preparation of the gifts (offertory)

  • “Here I Am, Lord”: Dan Schutte (1981)
  • “Be Thou My Vision”: an Old Irish hymn, translated by Mary Byrne (1905) and versified by Eleanor Hull (1912)
  • “Lord of All Hopefulness”: Jan Struther (1931), sung to the Irish tune Slane
  • “On Eagle’s Wings”: Michael Joncas (1979), based on Psalm 91

Communion

  • “I Am the Bread of Life”: Suzanne Toolan, RSM (1966), with its promise “and I will raise you up”
  • “Panis Angelicus”: words by St. Thomas Aquinas, setting by César Franck (1872)
  • “Eye Has Not Seen”: Marty Haugen (1982), from 1 Corinthians 2:9
  • “Ave Maria”: Franz Schubert’s (1825) or the Bach–Gounod setting, often sung as a meditation after Communion

Song of Farewell

At the Final Commendation, after the prayer after Communion, the priest incenses the coffin while the Song of Farewell is sung. It is based on the ancient responsory Subvenite:

Subvenite, Sancti Dei, occurrite, Angeli Domini, suscipientes animam eius, offerentes eam in conspectu Altissimi.

In English: “Come to his (her) aid, saints of God; come to meet him (her), angels of the Lord, receiving his (her) soul and presenting it before the Most High.” Several English settings are used in parishes; your parish musician will know the one your community sings.

Recessional

As the coffin is carried out, the Church’s own chant is the antiphon In paradisum:

In paradisum deducant te Angeli; in tuo adventu suscipiant te Martyres, et perducant te in civitatem sanctam Ierusalem. Chorus Angelorum te suscipiat, et cum Lazaro quondam paupere aeternam habeas requiem.

In English: “May the angels lead you into paradise; may the martyrs receive you at your coming and lead you into the holy city, Jerusalem. May the choir of angels receive you, and with Lazarus, who once was poor, may you have eternal rest.”

Other favorite closing hymns:

  • “Lead, Kindly Light”: St. John Henry Newman (1833)
  • “Abide with Me”: Henry Francis Lyte (1847), sung to Eventide by William Henry Monk
  • “I Know That My Redeemer Lives”: Samuel Medley (1775)
  • “Jerusalem, My Happy Home”: a traditional English hymn on the heavenly city
  • A Marian hymn: the Salve Regina (“Hail, Holy Queen”) or “Immaculate Mary”

Tips for choosing funeral hymns

  • Choose four or five hymns at most: entrance, offertory, Communion and recessional, plus the psalm and the Song of Farewell.
  • Pick music the congregation knows, so that everyone can sing and pray together.
  • Let the readings guide you. If you chose John 14 (“In my Father’s house”), a hymn about heaven fits well.
  • Ask about a cantor or soloist. Many parishes have funeral choirs; an offering to the musicians is customary.
  • Print the hymn numbers or words in the worship aid only with permission from the publisher, or use the parish hymnal.

Frequently asked questions

What is the most popular Catholic funeral hymn?

“On Eagle’s Wings,” “Be Not Afraid,” “Amazing Grace,” “How Great Thou Art,” “Here I Am, Lord” and “I Am the Bread of Life” are among the most requested in the United States; “Abide with Me,” “Lead, Kindly Light” and “The Lord’s My Shepherd” (Crimond) in Britain and Ireland.

Can we play a recorded song at a Catholic funeral?

Live music is preferred at the Mass. A recorded or secular song is usually best kept for the vigil, the reception or the cemetery; ask your parish.

Can “Danny Boy” or a favorite pop song be sung at a Catholic funeral?

Not usually at the Funeral Mass, since the liturgy’s music should express the faith of the Church. Many families use such songs at the wake or the reception.

More funeral pages

Sources

  • Order of Christian Funerals (1989), General Introduction, on music in the funeral rites; Final Commendation and Procession to the Place of Committal.
  • In paradisum and Subvenite: traditional Latin chants of the Roman funeral liturgy; English translations made for this page.
  • Hymn authors and dates from standard hymnals; titles only are listed, since many modern hymns are under copyright.