Funerals and Memorial Services
Please get in touch with the Vicar (here or 01865 890392) if you have a death in the family. We pray regularly for bereaved families and would like to include you in our prayers. If you or your loved one require Spiritual Care at the end of life (‘Last Rites’), please contact the Vicar.
When the time comes to plan a Funeral or Memorial Service, please do make contact with us – either directly or via your funeral director. We want to hear from you. Clergy are very happy to assist with, and talk through, a range of funeral or memorial service options, and we have a good relationship with local funeral directors.
About a Christian Funeral
At a Christian burial service, we entrust our loved ones to God’s compassion, justice, and mercy, in the hope of sharing in Jesus Christ’s resurrection from death.
When somebody you love dies, it is often overwhelming. There are resources on the Church of England website for you to begin thinking about the service for your family member or friend. Your funeral director will help you with some of this process, but it will be at your meeting with the Vicar that you put together the service.
If you want to meet with the Vicar and put ‘on file’ your wishes for your funeral, please do get in touch.
Questions?
Can I have a Funeral or Memorial Service in Church?
Every resident of a parish, or non-resident person who dies there, is entitled to a Christian burial service (funeral) in the Parish churchyard (so long as it remains open), whether or not they were churchgoers. Our churchyard is open. Please contact the Vicar about services, or have your funeral director approach us.
Can I have my Vicar take a Funeral at a Crematorium?
Short answer: YES! We have taken services for parishioners at all of the local crematoria in this part of Oxford Diocese.
Please do speak to us after a cremation about a Service of Interment of Ashes.
Is there somewhere I can light a candle?
Lighting a candle may help you think about someone who has recently died and pray for all those who miss them. You can do this in our church. There is a Pricket Stand (candle stand) by the North Aisle Chapel (pictured).
What next?
After the Funeral or Memorial Service, you may have questions about Christian faith or need some additional pastoral care. Please contact the Vicar (here or 01865 890392).
It is often the case, following a burial or an interment of ashes, that families will wish to apply for a memorial. This guide (here) will help you know what to do next.
