A Catholic funeral holds two distinct purposes: to honour the dead and care for those who are grieving.

The Vigil for the Deceased is celebrated during wakes. Normally this rite is scheduled and publicised in the obituary so that more of the community can attend. The Vigil is generally led by a priest or deacon, though if none are available a lay person with experience in leading public prayers may be chosen instead. The Vigil may take place in a private home, a funeral home or a church. If available, music may be included. Often the Vigil is a time when those who can not attend the Funeral Mass or Rite of Committal come together to take part in the funeral rites.

The Funeral Mass may be celebrated any hour of any day except for solemnities of obligation: Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, Easter Sunday or any Sunday in Advent, Lent and the Easter Season. Generally the Funeral Mass is celebrated in the church of which the deceased was a member, though it may also be celebrated in a Catholic chapel (such as in a nursing home) or in any Catholic church in which the pastor agrees. If it is requested and approved, the Funeral Mass may be celebrated for more than one person at a time. Only a priest or deacon is allowed to preach the homily during a funeral liturgy. If a Funeral Mass is not possible or permitted, then the Funeral Liturgy Outside of Mass may be celebrated. This may be celebrated in a private home, funeral home or a cemetery chapel. Holy Communion may be included, though some dioceses may discourage it.

The Rite of Committal is a "gathering of the faithful for prayer" that generally takes place at the graveside or interment/cemetery chapel. At this time it is usually appropriate for military or cultural customs to be included. Though burial is preferred by the Catholic Church, cremations are also allowed as long as they were not chosen for reasons that go against the Church's teachings. If a cremation does occur, the ashes are considered as the human remains and therefore should be buried or entombed. Scattering ashes so that they remain above ground is discouraged. Burial in the consecrated ground of a Catholic cemetery is encouraged for both human remains and ashes. Some non-Catholics may also be buried in Catholic cemeteries if they expressed a relationship to the Church and a desire to do so, or if a non-Catholic member of a Catholic family (or his/her family) expressed a desire for the family to be buried together.

According to the Order of Christian Funerals, the Vigil for the Deceased, Funeral Mass and Rite of Committal are the three main parts of a Catholic funeral. Planning a Catholic funeral should be done with the parish priest so as to navigate Church practice, procedure and law most effectively.

Protestant Funerals

A Protestant denomination is any non-Catholic Christian religion. Major Protestant religions include Methodist, Baptist, Lutheran and many others. Each church, religion and community will likely have some of their own funeral traditions, but they do have some common traits.

These take place as soon as possible after the death, often in a church or at a funeral home, and flowers and food are the most common ways for attendees to contribute something to the family. Some families will choose to have a wake or visitation prior to the funeral, but not always. Protestant funerals are usually very quiet, solemn affairs, though some churches with a musical or more boisterous tradition of worship do incorporate those traditions in funerals.

Many churches have a tradition to emphasize a community feeling at funerals, by inviting attendees to speak about the Deceased in combination with traditional readings from Scripture. Sometimes the Deceased's favorite music will be played and photos will be displayed. There is also sometimes a traditional liturgy, as with the Catholic Church, and sometimes not; it varies greatly among denominations and communities.

Often the burial will be attended only by the family rather than all of the attendees at the funeral. It is common for a reception to be held after the funeral, either at the church or at the home of the family where people share food and stories.

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