But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words. (1 Thess. 4:13-18)

1. The Church has no specific rules determining the length of time between death and the burial. Interment varies according to the climate, civil ordinances, customs, and circumstances, and may be held immediately following death, or after a number of days.

 
2. The hour of interment is also not fixed; it may be at any time during the day to accord with cemetery regulations and parish needs.

 
3. It is assumed that, unless the death was an accidental or untimely one, the priest has been ministering to an aging person, or one suffering from some ailment or sickness, and has prepared the person for death through participation in the Mysteries of Penance and Holy Eucharist.

 
4. The priest should read the Prayers at the Departing of a Soul and passages from Holy Scripture. Merely to be present at the bedside of one’s spiritual child and not minister with audible prayer is unworthy of the priesthood.

 
5. If the priest was not at the bedside of the dying parishioner at the time of death, he must make contact with the family, offering to assist them through the time of grieving and mourning.

 
6. The Service for the Departed (panikhida) is sung on the eve of the burial whether the body is in the temple, funeral home, or elsewhere.

 
7. The body of the departed may be brought into the temple at any time prior to the time of the Funeral Service, whether days before or on the day thereof.

 
8. According to traditional practice, the casket is open from the first Service for the Department (panikhida) until the conclusion of the Funeral Service. The deceased is made in the image and likeness of God; the physical body is not to be shunned or rejected because it is in an altered state. To view the body at the funeral home but not in the church is illogical.

 
9. The casket is positioned so that the feet of the departed are toward the iconostasis. Thus, the person, if alive, would be standing facing the Holy Altar.

 
10. The Funeral Service is usually served in the temple on the day of the burial.

 
11. The Divine Liturgy may be celebrated on the day of the Funeral Service. This takes place before the Funeral Service. Celebration of the Divine Liturgy is precluded during the Great Fast when the weekday liturgy is not celebrated.

 
12. The Funeral Service and burial is generally not officiated on Sunday or Pascha. If the Funeral Service is scheduled for Monday, the body may be brought into the temple only after the service of Vespers on Sunday evening. There may be circumstances for which immediate burial may be necessary, and in this case pastoral discretion is to be used.

 
13. Between the day of Pascha and the Sunday of St. Thomas, the Funeral Service follows the Typicon for these specific days of celebration.

 
14. An Orthodox clergyman may not take part in a service for a non-Orthodox deceased person even if that person is related to a parishioner. If invited, however, he may offer some words of consolation at the graveside or funeral meal.

 
15. Non-Orthodox clergy may not be invited to participate in the Funeral Service or offer any form of homily or public statement in the temple, or participate in the graveside service. The officiating priest, however, cannot control what takes place after the Orthodox service of burial has been concluded in a public cemetery.

 
16. Prayers for the dead are usually offered immediately after the burial at the memorial meal, on the third, ninth and fortieth day after death, and every year thereafter.

 
17. Saturday is the usual day for a memorial service. It can be scheduled immediately before the Vigil or Vesper Service. In this way, the prayers for forgiveness and repose preceding these services are illumined through the proclamation of the Lord’s Resurrection in the hymns that are sung in the following services.

 

 

However, the Service for the Departed (panikhida) may be served after the Sunday Divine Liturgy if the hierarch has given his blessing for this to take place at that time. 
 

18. The Church has set aside definite days on which remembrance of the dead should take place. Among these are Meatfare Saturday, the second, third and fourth Saturdays of the Great Fast, the Saturday preceding Pentecost, and St. Demetrius Saturday.

 
19. In addition to these specific times, the faithful may have the names of the deceased remembered at the Proskomede and during the Divine Liturgy.

 
20. Memorial services are not permitted on feast days or from the Nativity of our Lord to Theophany, and from Palm Sunday to the Sunday of St. Thomas.

 
21. The rector is responsible for entering into the metrical book the required information about burials.

1. Membership in the Body of Christ, His Holy Church, is defined by participation in the Holy Eucharist. Inasmuch as a person, by refusing to partake of the Divine Body and Blood of Christ during his/her lifetime, has chosen freely not to be incorporated into the Body of Christ, unless there is reason to assume that the person has returned to Christ at the end of his/her earthly existence, that person will not be buried from the temple.

 
2. The burial service of such a person should only be a Service for the Departed (panikhida), including scripture readings for the dead. The priest may be vested in the epitrachelion.

1. If a priest is asked to bury a non-Orthodox person, he must consult with his diocesan hierarch, and with the hierarch’s blessing bury the person according to the service prescribed in the Book of Needs.

1. The act of suicide is a profound tragedy affecting a parish. It necessitates prayers for forgiveness for the sake of the departed and exhorts the members of the parish community to repentance and sorrow.

 
2. The Orthodox Church normally denies a Church burial to a person who has committed suicide. However, factors bearing on the particular case may become known to the priest who must share this information with the diocesan hierarch; the hierarch will consider the factors and make the decision concerning Funeral Services.

1. If a parish priest is aware that a member of his flock is a Freemason, he should make it a pastoral concern to speak privately with the person, showing the incompatibility of Orthodoxy with Freemasonry.

 
2. When a communicating member of a parish falls asleep in the Lord and that person is also a member of one of these societies, the priest will show love and concern for the deceased. In his counseling of the bereaved family he must not be hostile, but must inform the family that only the Funeral Service for an Orthodox Christian will be served.

 
3. Patiently and tactfully, and with discretion, he will state that no words or symbols other than those of the Orthodox faith can be introduced into the church or the funeral home.

1. The practice of cremation is not a Christian one and is to be discouraged. Cremated remains are not to be brought into the temple for a burial service or for any other reason.

 
2. Although cremation is not encouraged, and the Funeral Service over cremated remains is denied, the remains may be buried only with the hymn Holy God…

1. The priest should be sufficiently informed to help guide the faithful in this area of medical procedure. Some people think that they cannot refuse an autopsy to be performed on a loved one. No one is obliged to give approval for this procedure.

 
2. Unless there is a specific legal reason, such as determining the cause of death, an autopsy ought to be avoided. The desire for scientific information through experimentation is not enough reason to merit an autopsy. Nevertheless, this is a decision that the family itself must make. The Church is concerned that respect for the body as a temple of the Holy Spirit be maintained.

 
3. Donation of body organ(s) after death may be allowed as long as respectful care is exercised toward the body before, during, and after the extraction operation. Care must be taken that the organ(s) are given as a gesture of altruism, free of any commercial overtones.

 
4. The Church does not consider the sharing of organs as a lessening of the presence of the Holy Spirit in the deceased, or as a transmigration of part of the donor to the recipient. A healthy person not in expectation of imminent death may donate non-vital organs as long as his/her quality and integrity of life is not diminished or endangered.

In the encyclical On Spiritual Life in the Church, a section on the Temptation of False Ecumenism states that Orthodox Christians must be concerned about an understanding of ecumenical activity which is wrong: i.e.

1. Orthodox participation in Councils of Churches or Ministeriums is acceptable with the blessing of the diocesan hierarch.

 
2. Participation and cooperation in work for the good of society in such areas as educational opportunities, morality, responsible citizenship, Christian charity, social services, and other areas of concern to the community are acceptable.

 
3. Educational enrichment of members of a community through seminars, lectures, cultural programs and the like are beneficial for the better understanding of others.

 
4. Orthodox services may be celebrated at which non-Orthodox are present, i.e., Vespers, Service of Intercession (moleben), etc., but the readings, hymns, and responses must be led by Orthodox Christians. Non-Orthodox choral groups may not be invited to give the responses or sing the hymns of the services.

 
5. Although a service of prayer may be tailored for a particular occasion, it must be clearly demonstrate that it is the prayer of the Orthodox to God for the spiritual enlightenment and well-being of all the participants.

1. If the laity become involved in ecumenism, they must be well-grounded in the Orthodox faith and ecclesiology and possess at least a rudimentary knowledge of comparative theology, discipline, and practice. The parish priest must inform the faithful in these matters. Ongoing diocesan and parochial educational programs should be tailored to these needs.

 
2. On the local level of ecumenical encounter, it is necessary to state the difference between dialogue and official representation on behalf of the Church, and local, informal discussion on various topics and concerns.

 
3. Any clergyman or lay person representing the Church in an official capacity must have the blessing of his/her diocesan hierarch.

 
4. Although non-Orthodox clergy may not deliver a sermon in an Orthodox church, they may be invited to give lectures or presentations in the educational facilities of the church, In any case, the diocesan hierarch is to be consulted for his blessing.

 
5. With the knowledge and blessing of his diocesan hierarch, an Orthodox clergyman may deliver a sermon in a non-Orthodox church which will in no way compromise the tenets of the faith and Orthodox Tradition.

 
6. Non-Orthodox clergy present for a liturgical service in an Orthodox church may be afforded a place of honor in the body of the temple, but not in the sanctuary or on the cleros.

 
7. If a parish sponsors an open house for the local non-Orthodox community, a non-Eucharistic service, such as Vespers, Matins, or a Service of Intercession (moleben) may be served. Appropriate explanations for the benefit of the non-Orthodox guests should be part of the preparations.

 
8. If non-Orthodox groups have been invited or make themselves present for a scheduled service, sufficient time should be devoted to explanation and orientation prior to the worship service. The distinction between communing members of the Church and those who are present as guests should be made, along with an invitation to those present to enter into the spirit of the service.

 
9. Care must be taken to explain liturgical actions, symbols, and terminology of the Church for they are not always self-evident or immediately understood by non-Orthodox.

 
10. The same care should be taken to promote good understanding of what is being celebrated by explaining the structure of the services and the various themes being considered and celebrated within its context.

 
11. If non-Orthodox are present for the Divine Liturgy, it is prudent to announce who is permitted to partake of the Eucharist prior to its distribution.

 

 

Even after offering this specific information, it should not be presumed that the guests will necessarily understand or heed it. Therefore, it is prudent for the priest to ask one or more questions of a person he does not know to ascertain his/her Orthodox standing. 

In any case, the priest is reminded that he is the guardian of the Eucharist. Deacons who have been given the blessing to distribute the Eucharist to the faithful must defer to the priest in uncertain situations. 
 

12. Non-Orthodox clergy present in the church on the occasion of a wedding, funeral, baptism, or another similar event may not participate in any part of the service.

 

 

However, in the czse of a wedding, non-Orthodox clergy may offer a prayer or blessing at the reception or at another appropriate time outside the church. 
 

13. A non-Orthodox clergyman may offer a prayer at the graveside, as is the custom pertaining to military honors, American Legion, VFW, or prayers recited by Union or Fraternal organization representatives. If possible, these should be scheduled prior to the final Orthodox service of interment.

1. Ecumenical services are frequently very different from Orthodox services. Before asking the diocesan hierarch to give his blessing, the Orthodox participants should review the text of the service so they can determine whether or not an Orthodox presence might be misconstrued. Mere presence, without active participation in such a service, may be viewed as an affirmation of all that is stated, implied, and proclaimed.

 
2. If the content of the service compromises or offends the Orthodox faith or ecclesiology, then there can be no Orthodox participation. For the purpose of witness, it is necessary to convey to the non-Orthodox precisely and succinctly why Orthodox participation is not possible.

 
3. In the Orthodox tradition, liturgical vestments are worn only when a liturgical function is being performed. Therefore, liturgical vestments are not to be worn even when some participation in an ecumenical service is permissible.

 
4. Likewise, a priest should dress as he is generally seen by his clerical peers, wearing a clergy shirt and suit, or cassock, as is his custom.

 
5. Orthodox clergy, in the context of ecumenical services, may preach, offer a prayer in the Orthodox Tradition, and read from Holy Scripture.

 
6. An ecumenical service, as such, is not to be conducted in an Orthodox church. Prior to an Orthodox service being held for the benefit of true ecumenical witness, and at which there is to be a major attendance by non-Orthodox clergy and laity, the permission and blessing of the diocesan hierarch must be secured.

 
7. Local Orthodox clergy fellowships, under the guidance of their hierarchs, should come to a oneness of mind concerning ecumenical activity and uniformity of practice. These guidelines may be presented as a basis for such activity and take precedence over local decisions.

Matters of Appeal

1. The first instance of appeal for priest and parish alike is the district dean. Depending on the nature of the situation or dispute, the diocesan hierarch may appoint other clergy to assist the dean in determining action.

 
2. For instances involving ecclesiastical court, see Article XI, "Church Courts and Canonical Procedure," The Statutes of the Orthodox Church in America.

Attached Clergy

1. These guidelines apply to attached as well as to assigned clergy. The attached priest or deacon is one who generally does not have specific responsibilities in a parish apart from the celebration of Divine Services, and who usually does not receive remuneration from the parish.

 
2. Attached clergy include supply clergy to the deanery or diocese, retired clergy and those on leaves of absence. Attached clergy do not include those who have been permanently released from all sacred functions (deposed) or those under canonical suspension.

 
3. Clergy who have been given leaves of absence do not serve in any parish other than the one to which they have been attached without the express permission of the diocesan hierarch.

Metrical Records and other Ecclesiastical Reports

1. It is the rector’s responsibility to complete the parish metrical records and all other ecclesiastical forms or reports that are required by the Central Church Administration and the diocesan chancery. These are to be completed in a timely fashion.

 
2. All metrical records are the property of the parish and are not to be taken by the priest in the event he leaves the parish. When a priest transfers from the parish, he turns the church seal and records over to the district dean who entrusts them to the newly assigned rector.