At St Oswald’s we are here to help you through one of life’s most difficult times, giving support before, during and after a funeral service, for as long as it’s needed.

Anyone is able to ask a Church of England minister to take a funeral for someone they knew and loved. Neither the person who has died nor the person asking has to be a regular churchgoer. Church of England ministers will take the funeral service for anyone who lives in their parish. *

After the initial news of the death of someone you knew and loved, some important things need to be done but these are two of the more immediate things:

  1. Register the death. There is some helpful guidance on this on the government’s births, marriages, and deaths advice page.
  2. Meet a Funeral Director. If you’re not yet sure which one to use, you can find one near to you on the National Association of Funeral Directors’ website, or on the National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors (SAIF) website.

The Funeral Director will then contact the vicar to make the initial arrangements. Following this the Vicar will contact you to discuss the finer details of the service.

The funeral will then be arranged jointly by the Funeral Director and the Vicar. The parish is happy to work with any Funeral Director you choose.

You can find more information about funerals here*.

* Taken from the Church of England website