Bishop Connell's letter directs that churches should not host wakes

The Bishop of Ardagh and Clonmacnois, Paul Connell, has clarified his opposition to churches in the diocese hosting wakes in which a deceased person is reposed in an open coffin.

The hosting of a wake in a church, rather than in another premises such as a funeral home or a person's private home, is not unheard of in Westmeath and Offaly but is very rare in these counties.

However the practice is understood to have become more common in certain other areas, such as South Leitrim, prompting Bishop Connell's intervention this month.

On February 7, he published a letter, headed 'Guidelines for the use of Churches for Reposing of Remains', in which he directed that the reposing of the deceased in churches should be discontinued as of February 9.

"I am requesting the parish communities involved to look at other possibilities within the area for hosting this station of the funeral rites. The use of parish halls or other parish facilities is perfectly in order," Bishop Connell wrote.

His direction has prompted national media coverage, and more than an hour of RTE's Liveline radio programme yesterday (Tuesday) was taken up by calls from members of the public on the issue, several of whom said churches were well-suited to handling wakes and that they disagreed with the bishop's intervention.

Yesterday evening, a statement from the Catholic Communications Office, on behalf of the bishop, clarified that "there has been no change to the traditional Catholic funeral service," which includes "a removal of the remains to the church the evening before the Funeral Mass, when the remains are met with prayers and the opportunity for people to sympathise with the family afterwards."

"The coffin remains closed during this removal service as it does during the funeral Mass. There is no difficulty whatsoever with the remains reposing overnight (with a closed coffin) in the church," the statement said.

In a letter to funeral directors, Bishop Connell said the use of a church for the reposing of remains with an open coffin was "inappropriate" due to "the sacred nature of the building and in particular the presence of the blessed sacrament".

"A church is designed for public worship and quiet prayer and reflection. Reposing, by its nature, may involve loud engagement and even the provision of hospitality," the bishop wrote.

Fr Tom Cox, who spent 15 years in the West Offaly parishes of Ferbane and Shannonbridge, from 2009 to 2024, said he was only aware of a very small number of instances of wakes being held in churches in Offaly and South Westmeath.

Fr Cox, who is currently based in North Roscommon, said the use of churches for this purpose in South Leitrim had arisen largely due to the absence of funeral homes in parishes in that area.

He also said there had been consultation from Bishop Connell with parishes in the Diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnois in relation to this matter.

"Last October, Bishop Connell wrote to priests in the diocese about this and we were asked to bring it up at parish councils, which I did," said Fr Cox.

"We discussed it (at the parish council). We also have gatherings of priests, in four groups, and my gathering certainly discussed it as well in November or December. I can't speak for other gatherings of priests and whether they discussed it, but the bishop did consult with priests at the parish level.

"It seems to have caught people on the hop, but in fairness to the bishop he did make an attempt to consult with the parishes. As to how widespread this practice was, my impression is that it only recently came up," he said.

Bishop Connell's letter this month spoke about the "vital role" which funeral directors play when families are bereaved, but added that the use of some churches for wakes had come about due to the comparatively high cost of using a funeral home for this purpose.

"There is no question that the demand for reposing in churches has come about not just because there is a lack of venue available but also because of the perceived high cost of the use of a funeral home by comparison," the bishop wrote.

" Many families experience financial pressure in relation to funerals. I respectfully request funeral directors to be conscious of this and accordingly to continue to offer their facilities at reasonable rates to bereaved families, and also to other funeral directors who may not have a funeral home, in a spirit of co-operation and good will."