Funerals

At St. Mark's we care about you and those you love.

Organising a funeral can be a very difficult time for you and your family. This is why we, at St. Mark's will do our best to offer you the support you need. We offer in-church or graveside funeral services, memorial services, and burials of ashes.

If there is to be no burial, or there is to be a burial of ashes and you are in possession of the ashes, you will not necessarily need the services of a Funeral Director as we can handle everything at St. Mark's.

The Service


Tribute (Obituary)

A funeral typically includes a Tribute or Obituary and this comes at the beginning of the service. It is a summary of the life of the deceased, something about their lives, and who they were as a person. It is usually written by the family and read by a family member or by the minister.

Eulogy

The eulogy is where the deceased is 'eulogised', praised or respected for their spirituality. This is an optional part of the service and may be conducted by a visiting minister if the deceased was part of a different church tradition. It is not normally included in Anglican funeral services.

Address (Words of Comfort or Sermon)

The Address, also called Words of Comfort or Sermon, is based on the Bible Reading(s). It may include some reference to the deceased if no Eulogy is given, especially if the deceased was a member of the St. Mark's church family.

Bible Reading(s)

The funeral service or memorial usually includes at least one Bible Reading. For example, this could be Psalm 23 or John 14:1-6.

Music

If the service is in church, you will need to think about music coming in (processional) and music going out (recessional) and if you wish to include any sung hymns. These can be played on backing tracks, or played on the organ or piano by our resident instrumentalist (see below).

Prayers and Reflective Items

You are welcome to include one or two reflective items in the service - for example, set prayers, a musical item, soloist, poem, or dance. Many people choose a simple piece of classical or gentle music to be played live or from a recording.

Example Order of Service

Processional Music

Welcome

Hymn (optional)

Tribute/Obituary

Psalm 23 (optional)

Bible Reading

Address (Words of Comfort)

Hymn or Musical Item (optional)

Prayers (optional)

Lord's Prayer (optional)

Commendation and Farewell

Recessional Music

Committal (graveside)

Blessing

Pricing

  • For funerals and interments with a coffin, these fees are paid to and managed by the funeral home, who will also charge for the mason's work in preparing the grave. For interments only, the fees are paid to and managed by St. Mark's Church directly with no involvement from a funeral home.  These fees are in effect from 1st March 2021.
  • Payments should be made to:
  • Bank of Butterfield
  • Account No: 20-006-060-104125-100
  • Beneficiary: St. Mark's Church
  • In the as a Payment Reference space put the surname of the deceased and "funeral".

Funeral in Church with Interment in graveyard

$1150

  • A typical St. Mark's funeral takes place in the church building, followed by an interment in the graveyard. The fee includes the Minister, Parish Church, Verger, and Administrator fees.
    There is an additional $100 fee if there is no Funeral Director involved and we handle the opening and closing of a grave for a burial of ashes (see below).

Graveside Funeral with/or Interment in graveyard

$900

  • This is the fee for a graveside funeral including interment, or an interment where the funeral has taken place elsewhere. The fee includes the Minister, Parish Church, Verger, and Administrator fees.
  • There is an additional $100 fee if there is no Funeral Director involved and we handle the opening and closing of a grave for a burial of ashes (see below).

Funeral/Memorial with no Interment in graveyard

$750

  • Sometimes the bereaved wish to have an interment in the churchyard followed by a memorial at a later date, or a funeral or memorial in the church when an interment has or will take place elsewhere, for example, abroad. The fee includes the Minister, Parish Church, and Verger fees. There is no requirement for a Funeral Director to be engaged for a funeral or memorial service if there is no burial taking place as everything can be arranged through St. Mark's.

Other Fees

Music

$300

  • You may choose to use the St. Mark's organ or piano which is played by our resident instrumentalist, Angela Sainsbury. Angela can play both classical and contemporary songs and hymns.

Burial of Ashes

$100

  • If you are in possession of the ashes, the burial of ashes can be handled in-house without the need for a Funeral Director. There is simply this fee for opening and closing the grave.
  • If the ashes are in a casket, this can be lowered into the grave by our sexton or family member. If the ashes are in a different container, then you may wish for a florist to place them in a basket with flowers.
  • Please be aware that the grave opening can be quite small, and so a small basket with flowers is more suitable.

Angela Sainsbury

Angela Sainsbury is our classically trained church organist and pianist. She earned her Bachelor's degree in Organ Performance from Friend's University in Wichita, KS in 2002, and completed her Master's degree in Organ Performance at the University of Cincinnati-College Conservatory of Music in 2006 under the tutelage of Dr. Roberta Gary. She has been a church musician for thirty years, fifteen of those here at St. Mark's.

Grave Fees

Memorial Application

$300

  • This is the application fee for a memorial plaque or headstone.

Church Grave

$950

  • If you do not lease a private grave in the churchyard, the coffin may be interred, or a burial of ashes may take place in a non-private church grave. This is a one-off fee and there is no annual maintenance fee.

Lease Fee

$12.5K

  • You may lease a new private grave. Nearly all the graves in the St. Mark's Church are privately leased. This is a one-off fee. There is then an annual maintenance fee to pay for the maintenance of your grave.

Maintenance Fees

$125 / yr

  • This is the annual Maintenance Fee and includes grounds maintenance and regular bleaching and painting of the graves.