Funerals and Churchyards in the Land’s End Benefice
Planning for funeral and memorial services is one of the most important things that the church can help you do. We need to honour those who have died and to offer support and care for those left behind. We will work with you to make the service personal, special and one in which family and friends can find comfort, support and hope as they say goodbye to the person they have loved and lost.
Please contact the churchwardens and they will help direct to who you need to speak to. Details on the contacts page.
Father of all, by whose mercy and grace
your saints remain in everlasting light and peace:
we remember with thanksgiving those whom we love but see no longer;
and we pray that in them your perfect will may be fulfilled;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Psalm 121
1I lift up my eyes to the hills; * from where is my help to come?
2My help comes from the Lord, * the maker of heaven and earth.
3He will not suffer your foot to stumble; * he who watches over you will not sleep.
Sometimes people like to prepare for their own funeral, or ask if they can have prayers said over them at the time of death. It is an honour to be asked to be part of this ministry so please do not hesitate to contact us.
The Church of England’s website says:
“A funeral is used to mark the end of a person's life here on earth. Family and friends come together to express grief, give thanks for the life lived and commend the person into God's keeping. These can be a small, quiet ceremony or a large occasion in a packed church.
Everyone is entitled to either a burial service (funeral) or to have their ashes buried in their local parish churchyard by their local parish priest regardless of whether they attended church or not. Speak to your local vicar for more information.
If the churchyard has been closed, then the Local Authority will provide alternative places of burial and the minister can carry out the service there instead of the church or crematorium.”
Churchyards
In the Land’s End Benefice we have three parishes and these all have churchyards in them, however St Buryan and St Sennen are closed for burials. In these parishes we now use the local cemeteries. However we can sometimes accept the burial of ashes in closed churchyards.
Memorial stones must be approved. If the design is one of those Church of England ministers are allowed to permit (because there are strict rules about this) it is a simple and quick process. If not then you will need special permission called a Faculty from the Diocesan Registrar. We can advise and are happy to help you make an application if necessary. It is best to always talk to the ministers in the team first.
Other than memorial stones, anything that you place on a grave needs to be natural and it cannot be a permanent change to the area. This is part of Church Yard law, and so we do need to keep within what is allowed. Please contact the churchwardens to discuss what is possible.
Our love for you is not written on paper, for paper can be erased.
Nor is our love for you etched in stone, for stone can be broken.
But our love for you is inscribed in our hearts, where it shall remain forever. Author Unknown