Memorial Booklet

The running order of a graveside service

A graveside service is short: the committal of the body at the grave, sometimes after a funeral elsewhere and sometimes on its own. Its program is usually a single card or the inside of a 4-page bifold.

Catholic rite of committal

  1. Invitation
  2. Scripture verse
  3. Prayer over the place of committal
  4. Committal
  5. Intercessions
  6. The Lord’s Prayer
  7. Concluding prayer
  8. Prayer over the people

Church of England committal

  1. Sentences of ScriptureMay be used.
  2. CommittalAt a burial: “earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust”; there are alternative words for a crematorium.
  3. DismissalThe Lord’s Prayer if not used earlier, the Nunc Dimittis, prayers, and an ending or blessing.

Worth knowing before you print

  • Whenever possible the Catholic rite of committal is celebrated at the grave rather than in a cemetery chapel. (source)
  • At VA national cemeteries in the US, funeral services cannot be held: there is a final committal service in a committal shelter away from the gravesite, generally 20 minutes including military honors, and burial follows. (source)
  • On request, the Department of Defense must provide a funeral honors detail for an eligible veteran: at a minimum, folding and presenting the United States flag to the family and playing Taps, with a recording if no bugler is present (10 U.S.C. 1491). (source)
  • The funeral director or the family’s representative requests the honors; the VA suggests contacting the service branch at least 48 to 72 hours before the service. (source)
  • Some VA and funeral-industry pages still say one member of the honors detail must come from the veteran’s own branch; a 2021 amendment to 10 U.S.C. 1491 removed that requirement. (source)

What to put in the booklet

  • A 4-page bifold is usually enough: the cover, the running order and a short reading inside, and thanks on the back.
  • For a veteran, add “Military honors: folding and presentation of the flag, Taps” to the running order once the funeral director has confirmed them.
  • Print the reception details on the back page, since guests disperse quickly from a graveside.

Start a booklet with this running order already filled in. Change, add or remove any part.

Start with the graveside service running order

Sources

Checked on September 28, 2026.