Madam, - Fr Gregory O'Brien either fails to grasp, or chooses to ignore, the thrust of my letter of April 12th when he writes (April 18th): "Mr Kavanagh, the Church will not refuse you a funeral, but should you ask for one?"
Like most people I will not be asking for a funeral as I will be deceased, gone, as dead as John Cleese's parrot. It is generally the relatives of the deceased who request and feel entitled to a funeral, and it is to these people that Fr O'Brien resents giving "two full days of time and energy".
I would remind the good father that not all regular church-goers are necessarily good people, no more than all those who do not attend are bad people.
Fr O'Brien should continue to minister to the living and let God decide on the dead. - Yours, etc,
JOHN T. KAVANAGH,
Braemor Road,
Dublin 14.
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Madam, - I read with interest Fr Gregory O'Brien's letter of April 18th. There has been a marked decline in religious observance in recent years. Yet, as Fr O'Brien, notes many people have their funeral service in the church that they rejected during their lifetime.
I think this is because, when a death occurs, people in their shock and upset rely on tradition to support them during those first days of bereavement. It is not acceptable just to bury someone we have loved in life. Humans need to mark death, often in a spiritual way, and apart from a humanist funeral there are not many alternatives to the traditional church funeral.
For those interested, I would point out that the Unitarian Church on St Stephen's Green will provide a funeral service that will reflect the beliefs of the deceased person and their family. All are welcome. There are no requirements; we regard providing this service as part of our ministry. - Yours, etc,
Rev BRIDGET SPAIN,
The Unitarian Church,
St Stephen's Green,
Dublin 2.