Saturday, September 11, 2010

Way to Go in Melbourne

HT to my wife for forwarding this news article my way... gives you pause, doesn't it...

The guidelines for Catholic funerals, sent by Archbishop of Melbourne Denis Hart, also declare that a funeral should not be a "celebration" of the deceased's life.  "Secular items are never to be sung or played at a Catholic funeral, such as romantic ballads, pop or rock music, political songs, football club songs," the guidelines say.


82% of the folks disagree with the Bishop's decision.  If you want to know what we are talking about, read the list of popular funeral songs below listed in 2008 by Centennial Park, a leading provider of cemetery, crematorium and memorial services in Australia.

  • 1. My Way, Frank Sinatra
  • 2. Wonderful World, Louis Armstrong
  • 3. Time To Say Goodbye, Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman
  • 4. Unforgettable, Nat King Cole
  • 5. The Wind Beneath My Wings, Bette Midler
  • 6. Amazing Grace, various artists
  • 7. We'll Meet Again, Vera Lynn
  • 8. Over the Rainbow, Judy Garland
  •  9. Abide With Me, Harry Secombe
  • 10. Danny Boy, various artists
    Most Unusual Funeral Songs
  • 1. The Show Must Go On, Queen
  • 2. Stairway to Heaven, Led Zeppelin
  • 3. Highway to Hell, AC/DC
  • 4. Another One Bites the Dust, Queen
  • 5. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead, Bon Jovi
  • 6. Always Look on the Bright Side of Life, Monty Python
  • 7. Ding Dong the Witch is Dead, The Wizard of Oz
  • 8. Hit the Road Jack, Willie Nelson
  • 9. I'm Too Sexy, Right Said Fred
  • Power, Crows and AFL team songs
The new guidelines also say that funeral should not be called or become a "celebration of life."  My own personal pet peeve since one local funeral home consistently puts in the newspaper obituary that a "celebration of life" service will be held at. . .  Imagine that, the Bishop said that such music and reminiscences of the person's life belong at a wake and not a funeral -- and that the main focus of the funeral should be "commending the deceased to God."

So my HT for the day is also to the Roman Catholic Bishop of Melbourne, Australia...
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3 comments:

  1. Dr.DSeptember 11, 2010 at 4:07 PM

    So refreshing when a bishop actually speaks out correctly for the Church! It is almost shocking in its rarity.

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  2. UnknownSeptember 11, 2010 at 4:34 PM

    I first encountered this report listening to the BBC World Service news while driving up to the seminary yesterday morning. There was shock in the announcer's voice when she told how some ecclesiastical oddball Down Under took the view that a "funeral is a solemn ceremony with a strong religious focus." A while later I used this to explain to my class the meaning of secularization. John Stephenson

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  3. funeral directors AdelaideMarch 18, 2012 at 6:31 PM

    Thanks for these songs. There are songs listed that are frequently played at a funeral that I go to. It's really wonderful to hear the beautiful lyrics of the music.

    ReplyDelete