Guide to Planning Catholic Funeral Music [2025]

Funeral Music

Catholic Church Funeral

There are some “rules” when choosing music for a catholic church funeral in Ireland. Appropriate religious music needs to be selected. If there is a special request then you can discuss this with the musician and priest. Otherwise the following is a suggested playlist.

The programme of music for a funeral needs to include one piece for each of the sections of the ceremony.

Funeral Mass Music

1. Entrance Hymn
2. Psalm
3. Offertory
4. Sign of Peace
5. Communion
6. End of Mass

Entrance Hymns

• Be Still My Soul
• How Great Thou Art
• The Lord’s My Shepherd
• Be Not Afraid
• Sweet Heart of Jesus

Be Still My Soul

Psalms

• On Eagles Wings
• Be Not Afraid
• Here I Am Lord
• Sé An Tiarna M’Aoire
• Mo Grá Thú

On Eagles Wings

Offertory

• Ave Maria (Schubert)
• Ag Criost An Siol
• The Prayer
• As I Kneel Before You
• Pie Jesu

Ave Maria (Schubert)

Sign Of Peace

• Make Me A Channel of Your Peace
• Tabhair dom do Lámh
• Gabriel’s Oboe
• Shalom
• Dona Nobis Pacem

Make Me A Channel of Your Peace

Communion

• Amazing Grace
• Pie Jesu
• Panis Angelicus
• I Watch the Sunrise
• The Cloud’s Veil

Amazing Grace

End of Mass

• How Great Thou Art
• Be Not Afraid
• You Raise Me Up
• Amazing Grace
• Somewhere over the Rainbow

You Raise Me Up