Is the funeral Mass important?

[Daniel]

My grandfather (a NO Catholic) died maybe a couple of months ago, and there was no funeral Mass. There was a prayer service, but no Mass. This seemed kind of odd to me, and disrespectful. But I don't know... is this just how they do it in the NO? Prayer service without a Mass?  (The priest who led the prayer service was a canon lawyer, so I'd think that if a funeral was mandatory, he'd have known about it. Or could it be that the diocese temporarily changed the laws? I believe that this may have been during the period when public Mass was banned due to stupidity... though that wouldn't explain why there was no funeral Mass said in private. Unless there was, but I don't believe that there was.)

Anyway, how important is the funeral Mass?

I take it that nothing can be done at this point, apart from digging up the body (pretty sure my grandmother won't agree to this). And a Mass said for the dead is no substitute for a funeral Mass, right?

[abc123]

A Mass is of the utmost importance since, according to Catholic theology, it is propitous (being Christ's own sacrifice) and the merits are applied to the deceased thus lessoning their time in Purgatory. A prayer service is something different altogether.

That said, you don't need the physical body present to have a funeral Mass. I remember we had a Requiem Mass at my SSPX chapel for someone whose body was not present. We setup a pall with the black shroud and father went ahead as if the body were present.

[Michael Wilson]

The N.O. Has been promoting the theory of universal salvation; one of the consequences is that funerals in the N.O. have the appearance of canonizations, with the deceased openly being proclaimed to be in Heaven. Therefore there is no longer a need to pray for the departed's deliverance from Purgatory.

[Daniel]

A Mass is of the utmost importance since, according to Catholic theology, it is propitous (being Christ's own sacrifice) and the merits are applied to the deceased thus lessoning their time in Purgatory. A prayer service is something different altogether.

I understand that it's different, but wouldn't they both lessen the time in Purgatory? (Why would God ignore our petitions? And if He ignores our petitions, why does He command us to petition Him?)

Regardless, what's the difference between a funeral Mass and a Mass said for somebody who is dead? Is it only the ceremonials that are different?

That said, you don't need the physical body present to have a funeral Mass. I remember we had a Requiem Mass at my SSPX chapel for someone whose body was not present. We setup a pall with the black shroud and father went ahead as if the body were present.

Interesting. Didn't know that. (I thought I had read somewhere that the body--or at least part of it--needs to be physically present in order for a funeral Mass to be said.)

[abc123]

A Mass is of the utmost importance since, according to Catholic theology, it is propitous (being Christ's own sacrifice) and the merits are applied to the deceased thus lessoning their time in Purgatory. A prayer service is something different altogether.

I understand that it's different, but wouldn't they both lessen the time in Purgatory? (Why would God ignore our petitions? And if He ignores our petitions, why does He command us to petition Him?)

Regardless, what's the difference between a funeral Mass and a Mass said for somebody who is dead? Is it only the ceremonials that are different?

A Requiem Mass has specific prayers and ritual imploring God's mercy on the deceased. Whereas having a Mass said for someone does not include these extra prayers, and by extension additional mercies and graces.

Ill defer at this point to the actual Catholics here lest I say something incorrect.

[The Harlequin King]

A Requiem Mass for your grandfather's soul (or any other deceased Catholic's soul) may be offered at any time. A priest who's willing to celebrate the traditional Latin rite may even be asked to perform the rite of absolutions after the Requiem Mass. In this event, a catafalque would be erected with an empty casket, or a box draped in black to resemble a casket, standing in for the deceased's soul. This is standard practice at traditional chapels for All Souls Day to represent the souls of all the faithful departed, but it can also be done for individuals. It's not even limited to one time.

An article on how to construct a catafalque: https://www.liturgicalartsjournal.com/2018/11/sacristy-tips-constructing-catafalque.html

[Michael Wilson]

A Mass is the most powerful of all prayers and it is especially efficacious in relieving the suffering of the Poor Souls. There used to be "Privileged Altars"; Altars that had a Plenary Indulgence for the Poor Souls attached to them, whenever a Mass was said on that Altar. All gone.

[Elizabeth.2]

The funeral Mass or Requiem is very important on a number of levels, and besides that utterly beautiful.

[Stubborn]

The NO do not have a requiem mass, if they have a service at all, they call it the "mass of the resurrection" or label their so called service with some such NO title. Rejoice and be glad that at least he did not get the full NO treatment.

To elaborate a bit on what others have said, the Requiem Mass is invaluable to the soul before being buried for not only does it beg for and while not being a demand, the Requiem Mass calls down God's mercy upon the faithful soul with and through all the power of His Church. It's importance cannot be over stated or over exaggerated, because in most instances once that soul is in the ground, prayers for his soul will stop or slow to a barely noticeable drip, he might get an eternal rest or Hail Mary a few times a year - if that.  That's just the way human nature works - out of sight, out of mind.

Find yourself a trad priest and get that priest to celebrate the Gregorian Masses for your dear father. This is something every trad should automatically do asap after the death of one of their loved ones. Immediately after the last Gregorian Mass, the soul is released from purgatory and enters heaven. 

Gregorian Masses are a series of 30 Masses said for the same intention. One Mass is of infinite value - a Gregorian series is reserved for special circumstances, to storm Heaven with a great intent.