What is the Orthodox Funeral Process? | Orthodoxy Fact vs Fiction 

We buried my Papou today. He had military honors prior to the graveside service. I was not raised Greek Orthodox, but did have the pleasure of attending services a few times. It was a beautiful service!

Thank you for the explanation. The amount of peace this process gives is only understood when experienced.

I’ve attended many funerals in the past few months. February, March and April. And one of the things that I learned about the death of a friend or family member is that life on this earth is only temporary. And we can’t escape death and there’s the spiritual after life. Meaning that if we stay committed to Christianity, then our eternal home awaits us.

I can only hope and pray for an Orthodox funeral. Please pray for my unbelieving wife, Cathy.

My parish has a burial society so we are able to do all the preparations of the body for the funeral and burial. Most of our burial volunteers are medical Doctors or Nurses. (I didn’t hear any comment that we don’t embalm) A mortuary is only necessary for to keep the body cold until theTrisagian, and to provide transportation to the Cemetery (although sometimes family has transported the coffin in a van). It’s pretty common here for parishioners, even wealthy ones, to be buried in a simple pine box. After the Trisagian service and all through that night until the funeral, a vigil is kept with people from the Church, friends and family taking turns reading the Psalms inside the Church where the coffin rests facing the altar. Of course the use of the Parish facilities, Priest and Burial are free. The only cost is minimal to the mortuary and for a burial plot.

I don't know about America but in Serba service cant be done in Catholic or Protestant church. If there is no Church or Chapel, service is conducted on grave site or in home of dead person if he died there as long is srvice by the Ortodox priest.

The " Wake" is usually done at the funeral home of the family of the deceased.

Making kolyva anyways for a Greek in my family It’s not a sin I will never believe that in a million years

Very informative, thank you

Fascinating!

Saw NO humor in having a body rollout on the floor during family visitation....stopped watching at that point.

the movie scenes chosen for this is awful. a scene from some comedy film where a dead body falls out of the casket. whoever made this video shame

You make a disgrace of the Wake service by bringing in an old movie that shows a casket falling to the ground. This is the Orthodox way? No, your a charlatan.