Traditional Funerals in Toronto

A funeral service, whether traditional or more modern (memorial service or celebration-of-life), has two functions: to acknowledge the death and lifetime achievements of an individual and to bring grieving family members and friends together in support of one another during this difficult time.

What is the purpose of a funeral service?

Rituals and ceremonies help us express our deepest feelings and thoughts about some of life’s most important events. A funeral is no different. Most funerals help to fulfill these three things:

1) Funeral services allow us to honor and pay tribute to the individual who has died. Together family and friends can remember the life of their loved one.

2) Funeral services serve as a final goodbye to the physical presence of a loved one in our daily lives. It helps mark a difficult change that we will have to accept.

3) Funeral services serve as an opportunity to support each other. Funerals act as a central gathering place for people to mourn the loss together. Grief is very difficult to deal with, but dealing with it on your own makes it even worse.

One of our main mission is giving your loved one a final tribute they deserve. Contrary to common belief, funeral services are not all the same. They can take on many different formats and styles. We can plan and execute funeral ceremonies that follow very traditional practices, as we explain on this page, to those that take on less formal, more unique styles, like a celebration of life or memorial service. We work with you to create the funeral service that best honors your loved one’s life, allows the best way for you to say goodbye, meets your family's specific wishes, and fits within your financial budget.

We offer a lot of customization, and for the most part we can meet every specific detail you want. Additionally, we pride ourselves on providing some of the most affordable funeral services in Toronto. We know how scary and overwhelming funeral costs can be. That is why we have done our best to ensure every family can afford to give their loved one a memorable and proper goodbye.

The Basic Components of a Traditional Funeral Service

All traditional funerals contain the same main components. We explain each of them below:

1) Wake or Visitation

The purpose of a wake or visitation is to give people the opportunity to pay their respects to the deceased and the family. You often do not have this chance during the funeral service. The body is placed in a casket, and is either open or closed based on family preference. Often people say a short prayer by the casket then proceed to say their condolences to each family member. A good suggestion is to just say something simple to each family member such as "I am sorry for your loss", especially if there are a lot guests waiting to pay their respects.

2) Funeral Service

As opposed to the visitation, the purpose of the funeral service is to honor the life of the deceased, remember what he/she contributed to our lives, and to say a final goodbye to their presence. The funeral service can take place at the funeral home chapel, a church, or at the graveside/cemetery. Often prayers are said, hymns are sung, liturgy or religious passages are read, and the eulogy is given.

3) Committal Service

After the funeral service has concluded, there is a vehicle procession to either the cemetery or the crematory depending on the type of disposition that has been chosen. If burial has been chosen, the family and guests will congregate at the open plot or mausoleum. The Rite of Committal, the final set of prayers are given for the deceased, is said at this component of a traditional funeral service.

4) Funeral Reception

Many families choose to have a social gathering after the committal service with food and refreshments. It is a chance for the family to thank guests for attending, and it is a chance for everyone to share memories and provide support to each other.

The funeral service component is the biggest and most important component that we mentioned above. A traditional funeral service has long been associated with religion. For the most part when people think about a traditional funeral service, people imagine or have a Christian style funeral in mind. To further illustrate the funeral service component, we will examine it through the lens of a Christian style funeral. However, please remember that you can still have a traditional funeral that is not Christian.

How does a Christian Funeral Service differ?

A Christian funeral follows the 4 parts we already touched on above: the visitation, funeral service, committal service and finally the funeral reception. The funeral service part is where most of the specific Christian rituals occur. The funeral service takes the form of any other Christian mass with a couple nuances. The main purpose of a Christian funeral service is to pray for the soul of the deceased, and to provide support to the grieving family.

The funeral service starts with guests entering the church or chapel and taking their seats. It is recommended that guests arrive about 15-20 minutes prior to the start of the service. There is then a small procession down the main aisle of the church by the immediate family and the pallbearers who are carrying the casket. The casket will generally be placed in front of the altar, and the immediate family and pallbearers will sit at the very front. Once everyone has gathered together, the priest will give an opening statement that is either a prayer or a statement of support for the family, or a combination of both. After the opening statement, the mass officially begins. A traditional funeral service typically includes scripture readings from the Bible, a homily from the priest, prayers, and hymns. A homily or sermon is a speech given by the priest after scripture has been read. The Priest will provide insight into the scripture readings and will relate it to the life of the deceased in some manner. Generally, the family will choose close relatives or friends to say the prayers and the scripture readings. The funeral service often concludes with the delivery of the eulogy. The eulogy usually covers the deceased’s life, his/her values, personality, accomplishments, etc.

Since there are so many sects of Christianity there will be small differences between a Catholic funeral compared to a Lutheran funeral, but for the most part the funeral rituals are the same.

What are some items I can prepare ahead of time?

Clothing (undergarments, shoes, jewellery, etc.)
A colour photo for the prayer card (will be airbrushed)
Social Insurance Number, Health Card Number, Marriage Certificate
50 pictures for a DVD Collage
Loose pictures for the magnet board
Framed Pictures for Display
Pall Bearers

Readers for the Mass
Words of Remembrance
Number of Limos required
Pick up & drop off points for the funeral morning
Post Funeral Reception
Catering
Floral Tributes
Choice of Charity
Service Language

Have You Considered Pre-Planning Your Funeral?

Are you looking for a way to ease the burden on your loved ones when the time comes? Pre-planning your funeral can be a thoughtful and practical way to do just that. At Vescio Funeral Home, we understand that considering end-of-life arrangements can be overwhelming, but we're here to help. That's why we've created a comprehensive funeral pre-planning checklist to guide you through the process. Click the button below to download your free copy and take the first step toward peace of mind.

Download Our Funeral Pre-Planning Checklist