Always call the pastor for guidance about your loved one’s Catholic funeral and to inquire about dates and times available in the parish before making arrangements at a funeral home. Funeral services must take place as soon as possible after death and should not be delayed out of respect for the deceased person. Rosaries/Vigils take place on the evening prior to the day of the Funeral Mass according to the long custom of the Church. The burial at a cemetery must take place on the same day as the Funeral Mass unless the body is to be cremated. Cremated remains of a body must be buried immediately after the cremation takes place.