Bishop’s decree prohibits funeral visitation at churches | The Most Rev. David J. Bonnar met with funeral directors and the Diocesan Presbyteral Council to establish a uniform policy.
Funeral visitation will no longer be allowed in church buildings or facilities in the Diocese of Youngstown, effective Dec. 1.
According to the Diocese of Youngstown, more families are requesting to hold funeral visitation for loved ones in church. This increasing trend can be attributed to several factors, including convenience, cutting cost and making it easier for family and friends to attend all parts of the funeral rites.
Over the past year, the Most Rev. David J. Bonnar, Bishop of Youngstown, met with funeral directors, the Diocesan Presbyteral Council and County Deans, in hopes of establishing a uniform policy for funeral visitations.
Ultimately, with their unanimous support, it has been decided that funeral visitation will no longer be allowed in a church building or church facilities, effective Dec. 1, 2025.
According to the Diocese, the structure of the “Order of Christian Funerals” serves as a guide in the discernment of this matter.
The order states that “we celebrate the funeral rites to offer worship, praise and thanksgiving to God for the gift of a life which has now been returned to God, the author of life and the hope of the just.”
The first part of a Catholic funeral liturgy includes the vigil, or prayers to be prayed during the visitation, which is followed by the transfer of the body to the church and then a committal at the cemetery.
“That there should be a transfer to the church is a clear sign that the ritual does not envision a viewing in the church building,” said Bonnar.
“The church building is where the community gathers to hear the Word of God, to pray together, receive the sacraments and to celebrate the Eucharist. The church building is both the house of God on earth and a house fit for prayer. Churches are sacred buildings intended for divine worship and not to serve as spaces for funeral visitations,” said Bonnar.
And while Bonnar knows the decision will cause some distress for some, he said it’s his responsibility “as the Diocesan Bishop to avoid any semblance of disconnect between a trend and the parameters established by the Order of Christian Funerals.”
You can read a message from Bonnar here as well as the full decree. The decree also appears below.
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