This information is current as of 20 July 2026.

Funeral directors or families wishing to make arrangements for a funeral in our parish should contact the parish priest by email here.  This email address is monitored constantly and he will respond promptly.

Families wishing to arrange a funeral in our church should read the information below and ensure that they clearly understand the Russian Orthodox funeral service before commencing any arrangements.

From 20 July 2026 until 13 November 2026, it will only be possible to have funerals in our church on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.

A church funeral is only possible if the body is to be buried afterwards.  This is because the body is an essential part of who we are as human beings.  As is explained in greater detail below, cremation is forbidden by the Orthodox Church.  Other contemporary alternatives to traditional burial such as promession, aquamation and "human composting" that, like cremation, involve the deliberate destruction of the body, or that instrumentalise it, are similarly impermissible.

Requests to have the funeral service somewhere other than in our parish church – in a non-denominational chapel, for example – will usually be declined.  This is because other spaces tend to be organised in a way that interferes with our traditional practice and the prayerful participation of those present.

It is the customary practice of the Russian Orthodox Church to serve funerals with the casket open.  A request to serve the funeral with the casket closed will only be granted if there are compelling pastoral reasons or if NSW public health regulations require it.

If the family decides not to have a church funeral for this reason, it is still possible to have a graveside burial service.

Should a closed-casket funeral service be granted, it will be necessary for the parish priest to visit the funeral home prior to the funeral service to complete some parts of the service.  The need for this should be taken into account when scheduling a funeral.

A $120.00 fee is payable to our church for funerals.  This covers the cost of the burial shroud; the wooden cross that is placed in the hands of the departed; the printed Prayer of Absolution and headband; and any other incidentals.

It is usual for all those present at an Orthodox funeral to hold a lighted candle, the cost of each candle being $2.50 each.  Candles are to be paid for separately, and in addition to the church fee.

In circumstances involving financial hardship these costs may be reduced or waived after discussion with our parish priest or our warden.

When our parish priest presides at a funeral no clergy fee is payable.  If the family insists on payment it should be made to the parish online or placed in the church donation box rather than given to our parish priest.  If a visiting priest presides, arrangements for payment should me made directly with that clergyman.

As our parish choir is small and relatively inexperienced, a visiting conductor and a choir of 2-3 experienced singers is often arranged for special services like funerals.  Payment for this is a matter for the family and the visiting choir director to discuss and agree upon.

The funeral service in the Russian Orthodox Church is different from other contemporary Christian funeral services in three main ways:

• The casket is open, and the priest and congregation make physical contact with the departed one;
• The priest stands at the head of the casket, facing away from the people and towards the sanctuary, rarely addressing the congregation directly during the service; and
• Very little, if anything at all, is said about the past of the departed one; instead, various prayers are read and hymns sung, expressing Orthodox Christian belief about death and hope for the one departed.

It is helpful to know a little about these things and why they are done before arranging or attending a funeral in our parish.  With such knowledge, one can participate more prayerfully in the funeral service and properly farewell an Orthodox Christian who has departed this life.

In these times and in Australia, an open casket is for some people confronting and even disturbing.  It has from ancient times, however, been the usual practice of Orthodox Christians to have the body of each departed Christian visible to all.  Many of the hymns and prayers reflect this, and an important part of the service – the “last kiss” – is impossible without it.

From time to time, the request will be made to have the funeral served with the casket closed.  In general, such a request will only be granted if there are compelling pastoral reasons or if NSW public health regulations require it. 

The body is laid reverently in the casket and is prepared in a way that gives expression to the Orthodox Christian faith.  A simple paper headband or “crown” – an ancient symbol of victory - bearing the words of an important prayer – “Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us!” - is placed on the head.  The body is covered with a white shroud bearing symbols of the resurrection of Christ.  A cross is placed in the hands, symbolising the departed one’s confession of the Christian faith. 

Later, a copy of the Prayer of Absolution is also placed in the hands, bearing witness to the prayer of the Holy Orthodox Church for the forgiveness of the departed one.  The body is treated reverently, as something precious, all that remains to us in a physical sense of one dear to us.  It is kissed at the end of the service for one last time in this world.  At the cemetery, the casket is lowered with solemn prayer into the grave, there to await the general resurrection. 

The Guidelines for Clergy of the Russian Orthodox Church outside Russia state that the faithful are “forbidden to burn the bodies of their dead in crematoria”.  Priests are instructed to “explain to their flock the sinfulness of violating our tradition of committing the bodies of the dead to the earth, which has been established by the Church following the example of the burial of our Saviour Himself, and likewise the unacceptability of adapting for Christian use what was practiced by the worst pagans of antiquity and those contemporary opponents of the principles of the Christian Faith.”  The Guidelines state that Holy Communion and a church funeral are to be denied to those who intend to have their bodies burned.

It has become the practice for funeral services to focus primarily on the needs of the living: for consolation, for reminiscence, for a sense of the value of the life of the one now removed from us.  These are important needs, but they are not the immediate focus of the Orthodox Christian funeral service.  The focus of our service is not on the past of the departed one and the present and future of the congregation, but rather on the present and future of the one who has died.  As Christians, we believe that there is life beyond the grave.  The Orthodox Church prays at the funeral service that the departed one will find rest in this new life beyond the grave, rest in a place where there is no sickness, no sorrow, and no sighing, but everlasting life in the presence of God.  It prays that God will forgive the sins of the departed one – for there is no man or woman who lives without sin – whether sin that is voluntary or involuntary, known or unknown.  It follows, then, that the priest faces the sanctuary symbolically to address these prayers to God, and to lead those present in prayer.

In view of this, requests to have the funeral service somewhere other than in our parish church – in a non-denominational chapel, for example - are generally declined. Although prayer is possible at all times and in all places, it is in an Orthodox Christian church that our prayers for the departed are most appropriately offered.

Some of the prayers and hymns in the service are very theological in content: these express the Orthodox Christian faith of the departed one and those who pray.  Some prayers refer to the Christian martyrs, for whom death was not a thing to fear or dread, but an entry into eternal life.  Some are written as if in the words of the departed one: “I beg and entreat you all, that you pray without ceasing unto Christ God for me”.  Others are simple requests to God for mercy, forgiveness, and loving-kindness.  The readings from the Holy Scriptures encourage faith and hope. 

Although not primarily directed to this purpose, one finds that these beautiful prayers, hymns and readings do bring consolation, and that they do inspire one with a sense of the value of the life of the newly-departed relative, friend or acquaintance.  One feels that the Orthodox Christian is farewelled fittingly, with all the reverence and solemnity due to a faithful servant of our Lord, God and Saviour Jesus Christ.  Those who wish to celebrate the life of a departed Orthodox Christian are nevertheless welcome to do so at an informal gathering after the funeral and burial service.

Orthodox Christians who desire to be buried with the prayers of the Orthodox Church are strongly encouraged to make their wishes known to family and friends well in advance.