I was at a funeral today for a kinda distant relative at a catholic church and had a question.
Why are all of the statues and crucifixes covered during the ceremony?
In the last weeks of Lent statues and crucifixes are traditionally covered in purple in Catholic churches. I’ve heard various reasons given for this practice. The Catholic Encyclopaedia mentions two:
Traditionally all of the crucifixes in the church are unveiled at the cermemony of the adoration of the cross during the singing of the *Ecce lignum * on Good Friday afternoon. The statues of saints are unveiled during the singing of the *Gloria * at the Easter Vigil mass.
I didn’t know the reasons Cunctator cites; it seems I was told that during Lent Church was stripped of all decoration, just as we ourselves are spiritually stripping down, fasting and making ourselves ready for the Resurrection. But it makes sense!
And for one of my favorite Irish Catholic jokes… (of which I am, by the way)
Q. What’s the difference between an Irish Funeral and an Irish Wake?
A. One less drunk person.
If I was insensitive for posting that, please accept my apology. I’m sorry for your loss.
E3
I don’t know about insensitive (and I’m of Irish extraction), but to me it simply doesn’t make sense. The dead person is equally dead at the funeral as at the wake, no? Why is there on fewer (not less!) drunk person?
That’s a little odd, in that the altar gets stripped and the statues and crucifix covered (if that’s what the church does) for Good Friday until the Vigil, since the death of Christ is being commemorated. Not during all of Lent.
I don’t get the joke either.
Was an uncle of my wife, I never met the guy, no offense taken.
It’s supposed to be wake and wedding, not funeral.
And for the OP, it is true, the decorations were covereed because of Lent. Sometimes it’s not practical to take them down, so they are covered.
Two separate traditions:
The statues are covered either on Palm Sunday or earlier in Lent (depending on local tradition–it is not an official practice).
The altar is stripped during the Triduum, at the end of the celebration Holy Thursday (after which we depart in silence with no recessional hymn), reflecting mourning in conjunction with the crucifixion. That is a liturgical rite of the church.
Gotcha (ya). I will have to pay closer attention this week because I wasn’t remembering them being covered on Holy Thursday.
Are you sure?
I recall that this was on Good Friday, not Holy Thursday.
In my experience the mass on Maundy Thursday ends with the stripping of the altar and the procession of the Blessed Sacrament to the Altar of Repose, during which the hymn *Pange Lingua * is sung. Then there is a period of silent adoration. At the conclusion of the Good Friday liturgy there is complete silence.
I’ll find out for sure tomorrow, but I think think Cunctator is correct. Good Friday service is the one that ends without singing.
Good Friday service (not a mass) begins and ends with the processional and recessional in complete silence. The altar is completely bare to start the service but is covered before the Eucharist is brought in from outside the sanctuary. The candle by the tabernacle that symbolizes the real presence of Christ is unlit that day.
Wedding, funeral… depending on the couple, same thing… 
Well, if what they say is true about Finnegan’s Wake…
Not unlit. It is moved to whatever side chapel is used to store the Eucharist for that period. (In some churches, rather than move the candle, a different one is lit and moved to the side chapel, and then the one at the main alter is put out.) But the ‘presence’ candle will still be burning somewhere in the church.
Ok, so this time just the crucifix behind the altar was covered with a red cloth, and only on Good Friday.
And yes, the altar cloths were stripped after Holy Thursday and for Good Friday.
Turns out that we were all correct, including tomndebb’s original statement.
Both the Holy Thursday Mass and the Good Friday service end in silence, people departing with no recessional hymm.
In my hometown church, the Good Friday service actually ends with people coming up to venerate the cross, then just sort of drifting away on their own, without any recessional hymm or even a common exit. People just leave on their own, until the church is left empty, just the priest & acolytes to put away things and leave themselves. (Though usually a few people silently praying vigil all thru that day & night.)