The death of a loved one is a life-changing event that requires many decisions to be made in a short amount of time. St. Joseph Catholic Community is here to provide you and your family the support that you need while making arrangements with the funeral home, planning the Funeral Mass or funeral prayer service, meal planning and burial service.

 We are here for you now and in the days and months ahead to offer you healing and conforting prayers.

Funeral Planning Overview
To guide you in the funeral planning process, the following information provides an overview that we wiill assist you with during our funeral planning meeting.
  
Initial Call
When the death of a loved one occurs, an immediate family member or funeral home staff member should call our main number at 763-544-3352.  
 
Funerals are celebrated for those who were members of the parish family of St. Joseph Catholic Community, members of the immediate family of a parishioner (spouse, parent, child or sibling) or residents of one of our local care centers. In other situations, a funeral
may be celebrated at St. Joseph Catholic Community at the discretion of the Pastor.

St. Joseph follows the Bereavement and Funerals guidance of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops.
  
Cemetery Services
St..Joseph Historic Little Church in Plymouth has both in-ground and columbarium locations, each with limited space for burials.

Funeral Costs
There are set charges for the funeral and the check is to be made out to St Joseph Catholic Community. The parish provides two musicians and has a per person plate charge for the luncheon that the family is responsible for the costs.

It is common practice and helpful for funeral home staff to be present during the visitation and funeral service. Mortuary staff is responsible for the body or cremains, will greet your guests, manage flowers and cards (often with monetary donations), and distribute worship aids.
 
The Vigil for the Deceased 
This may take place the night before the funeral at the funeral home and/or on the day of the funeral at St. Joseph Catholic Community. We recommend having visitation a minimum of 30 minutes prior to the Mass or service.  
 
Planning a Funeral Mass or a Funeral Prayer Service 
Funerals can take place Monday through Friday (in special cases the family might request a Saturday funeral). The sanctuary capacity is a 750. The date and time is based on availability of the building and the presider.

Funerals are not celebrated on Sundays or Holy Days. Most families choose an 11:00am funeral at St. Joseph Catholic Community Parish Center or Historic Little Church. Larger funerals will take place in the Parish Center main worship space. Smaller funerals may be requested to be held at the Parish Center Chapel which comfortably holds 90 people and provides a more intimate setting. A luncheon may be arranged and celebrated at the Parish Center Social Hall immediately following the Funeral Mass. This is applicable funerals held in both the Parish Center and the Historic Little Church. 

   Guidelines in Times of Pandemic

• Funerals may be celebrated at St. Joseph, provided that CDC requirements for social distancing are met.  St. Joseph capacity during pandemic times is 200.
• Food service and social gathering within the church after the service is dependent on CDC recommendations. 
• Guidelines set by the Minnesota Department of Health are to be followed.

Our Coordinator of Pastoral Care will assist you and your family as you plan or pre-plan a celebration of life. You will be guided through the entire process of selecting an ossuary, scriptures, music and readers by the Coordinator of Pastoral Care and they will be available for you the day of the funeral. The family can request a packet to make choices of Scripture, music, etc. previous to meeting with the Pastoral Care person. Families will be asked to provide a quality photo of their loved one.

The Rite of Committal 
This ceremony happens at the cemetery at a prearranged time with the mortuary and cemetery. St. Joseph Catholic Community can arrange for a priest, deacon or member of our pastoral staff to offer prayers at the gravesite. 

Cremation is allowed by the Catholic Church. The cremated remains should be treated with as much respect as the body.
  

What to Expect the Day of the Funeral 
Staff and volunteers will be on hand to coordinate your service and luncheon hospitality.

During the visitation and luncheon, we offer tables and easels for memorials, flowers, photos, and mementos that capture the life of the deceased. Flowers can also be placed near the altar during the service. 

Special Requests 
Guest priests are always welcome to preside or concelebrate at a Funeral Mass, but must be arranged directly by the family. It is customary to offer an honorarium. Priests that preside outside the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis require a letter from their diocese stating they are a priest in good standing.

Family request for cantors and/or instrumentalists outside of the St. Joseph Catholic Community must be prearranged with the Coordinator of Pastoral Care and with the Liturgical Director prior to the service.

If a video is requested, it must be downloaded onto a disk or flash drive, using Microsoft Office, and brought into the Parish for testing 2-3 days prior to the day of the funeral.   
 
Funeral Hospitality
The Funeral Hospitality Ministry brings forth the caring presence of the community by serving the meal for the family and friends following the funeral liturgy of a loved one.  During funeral planning with St. Joseph Catholic Community, family members estimate the number of guests for the meal. The meal is ordered by and paid for by the family, with coffee, water, punch and desserts provided by St. Joseph Catholic Community.  After the meal, the Funeral Hospitality volunteers cleanup and pack any leftovers for the family.  If you would prefer to use a caterer, we will work with them during the luncheon and clean up.   Our Coordinator of Pastoral Care can provide you a list of suggested caterers.
 
Bereavement Aftercare 
We recognize that not everyone mourns the loss of a loved one in the same way, and there is no timeline for grief.  In the months following a death, we remember and connect with bereaved parishioners in a variety of ways:
 
Bereavement materials are distributed to families in various ways. Some resources are quite specific to the death one has experienced.  Others are about prayer, the various dimensions of grief, healing, and preparing for the challenges of a new normal without the person who died.  
 
St. Joseph Catholic Community offers year-round grief groups led by our Coordinator of Pastoral Care for adults and families to provide support and education for those who are grieving.     
 
St. Joseph Catholic Community also celebrates the loved ones we have lost in a Memorial Mass in early November near the Feast of All Souls. All those who have experienced the death of a loved one within the year are personally invited to this special candlelight Vespers service of remembrance. Names of all those whose funerals we celebrated at St. Joseph Catholic Community in the previous 12 months are read aloud during the Prayers of the Faithful at this Mass. All are welcome to this celebration.
 
For more information about St. Joseph Catholic Community funeral planning and bereavement aftercare, contact the Coordinator of Pastoral Care.

Memorial Donations
If you would like to make a memorial donation for your loved one, we have several options:

1. Bring a check payable to "St. Joseph Catholic Community" or cash to the Parish Office or Pastoral Care Team member. Include a note: "Memorial for [loved one's name].
2. Contact the Parish Director for memorial donation arrangements
3. Complete Online and include "Memorial for [loved one's name] in the "Note" section.