A committal service is the closing part of a Christian funeral in which the body or ashes are placed in the grave, tomb, or columbarium. The minister asks God to receive the person who died, gives thanks for the life, and reads a promise of resurrection. It may happen at the graveside or in a chapel beside the burial area.
What happens at a committal service?
The order varies, but a typical graveside committal includes a psalm or hymn, a Scripture reading, a short sermon or reflection, prayers, and the committal prayer itself. The minister may say words such as "In sure and certain hope of the resurrection to life eternal" from the 1662 Book of Common Prayer. In some churches, a family member is handed a shovel to cast earth on the casket.
After cremation, the same rite may be called a committal of ashes. The family brings the urn, and the ashes are placed in the ground or in a columbarium, a structure with burial niches. Some churches hold the service in a chapel next to the cemetery so guests can stay indoors.
Where does the name come from?
"Commit" means to entrust. The committal gives the dead back to God's care and to the community that remembers them. The rite reached English-speaking Christianity largely through the Order for the Burial in the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, which many Anglican, Episcopal, Methodist, Lutheran, and other Protestant churches still use or adapt. That order includes the words, "earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust."
How do different churches observe it?
In the Roman Catholic Rite of Funeral, the commendation of the deceased is followed by the rite of burial, which comes after the funeral Mass when there is one. Orthodox funerals include a Panikhida, a supplication for the departed, and a burial rite with prayers for repose and resurrection. Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, and Lutheran churches commonly hold a graveside service with Scripture, hymns, and a committal prayer. Jewish and Muslim burials follow their own religious customs and do not include a Christian committal.
To arrange one, planning a church funeral explains the steps to take first.
What to expect if you attend
The committal is usually short, often five to fifteen minutes, and may be held outdoors in any weather. Guests stand for readings and prayers and sit for a sermon or reflection. Dress is typically dressy but understated, such as a dark suit, a dress, or neat church clothes. You do not need to speak, sing, or take part, though you may stand with the congregation for the prayer of committal.
The committal is usually the final part of the day when it follows a funeral Mass. For a service held without a body present, see memorial service or celebration of life. A homegoing service, common in many Black churches, may end with its own words of farewell and a closing prayer.