McManus Funeral Home

Affordable Funeral Services in Brooklyn, NY

What is the Purpose of a Funeral Service?

A funeral service, whether traditional or more modern (memorial service or celebration-of-life), has two functions: to acknowledge the death and lifetime achievements of an individual and to bring grieving family members and friends together in support of one another during this difficult time.


One of our main mission is giving your loved one a final tribute they deserve. Contrary to common belief, funeral services are not all the same. They can take on many different formats and styles. We can plan and execute funeral ceremonies that follow very traditional practices to those that take on less formal, more unique styles. We work with you to create the funeral service that best honors your loved one’s life, allows the best way for you to say goodbye, meets your family's specific wishes, and fits within your financial budget. 


We have years of experience in this industry, and we take pride in offering families quality and affordable funeral services in Brooklyn, NY. We hope to help as many families in need as we can as their Brooklyn funeral service provider, and we promise to help each and every family member heal as they embark on their journey with grief. On this page, we have provided a breakdown of the traditional funeral process included in the services we offer as well as a brief history and overview of what a funeral is.


If you have any questions about our North Hollywood funeral services, please feel free to contact us.

Frequently Asked Questions About Funerals 



If you are interested in making funeral arrangements for a loved one, we invite you to call us to begin.

What is a Funeral?

All we need to do is say the word "funeral" and within microseconds, you have an image in your mind of what a funeral looks like. This mental image comes from many sources: the geographical place, culture and society in which we live; our faith; our life experience. Obviously then, a funeral service in Borneo would look very different from one held in Tanzania; there are even significant differences between the funerals held in ethnically and/or geographically diverse regions of North America.

Yet, despite the differences, these funeral services have much in common. We invite you to read further to learn the really simple answer to the question "what is a funeral?" Should you have questions about what you read here, we encourage you to call us. One of our funeral professionals will be delighted to explore the commonalities behind the wide spectrum of funeral ceremonies seen around the world.

What Makes a Funeral?


No matter where it's held, a funeral is a structured ceremony, with a beginning, middle and end. Each is intended to engage the living participants in activities which will transform their status within the community, provide mourners with a collective grieving experience, and celebrate a life lived. It's a socially-acceptable way for members of a community to re-affirm and express their social attachments.

Anthropologists label a funeral as a rite of passage, which affects everyone involved–including the deceased. His or her social status changes dramatically, from a living contributing member of the community to one whose contributions are in the past, and relegated to memory. But the status of each of the survivors—the immediate family most especially—has also changed. In fact, the funeral service can be the start of a defined period of mourning for bereaved family members, marking this transition in a uniquely identifiable way. 

It could be said then, the focus of a funeral—no matter where, no matter when—lies in acknowledging change. And without doubt, human beings (as individuals and as a community) have trouble dealing with profound changes like the death of an integral member of the group. When you take this perspective, it becomes easier to understand the importance of ceremonially acknowledging the tear in the social fabric and the symbolic restoration of its integrity.

Benefits of Holding a Funeral Service

Rituals and ceremonies help us express our deepest feelings and thoughts about some of life’s most important events. A funeral is no different. Most funerals help to fulfill these three things:


1) Funeral services allow us to honor and pay tribute to the individual who has died. Together family and friends can remember the life of their loved one.


2) Funeral services serve as a final goodbye to the physical presence of a loved one in our daily lives. It helps mark a difficult change that we will have to accept.


3) Funeral services serve as an opportunity to support each other. Funerals act as a central gathering place for people to mourn the loss together. Grief is very difficult to deal with, but dealing with it on your own makes it even worse.


One of our main mission is giving your loved one a final tribute they deserve. Contrary to common belief, funeral services are not all the same. They can take on many different formats and styles. We can plan and execute funeral ceremonies that follow very traditional practices to those that take on less formal, more unique styles. We work with you to create the funeral service that best honors your loved one’s life, allows the best way for you to say goodbye, meets your family's specific wishes, and fits within your financial budget. 


We offer a lot of customization, and for the most part we can meet every specific detail you want. Additionally, we pride ourselves on providing some of the most affordable funeral services in our area. We know how scary and overwhelming funeral costs can be. That is why we have done our best to ensure every family can afford to give their loved one a memorable and proper goodbye. 


Christian Funeral Service Breakdown

A traditional Christian funeral service follows the 4 parts we touched on above: the visitation, funeral service, committal service and the funeral reception.

The funeral service is where most of the specific Christian rituals occur. A funeral service is very similar to a regular Christian mass, however a portion of the service is dedicated to the deceased. The main purpose of a Christian funeral service is to pray for the deceased, and to offer support to the grieving family. 

The funeral service begins with guests entering the church or chapel, and it is recommended that guests arrive 15-20 minutes before the commencement of the service. There is then a small procession down the aisle of the church by the immediate family and the pallbearers who are carrying the casket. The casket will usually be placed in front of the altar, and the immediate family and pallbearers will sit at the very front of the church. Once the casket, family, and pallbearers are at the front, the priest will give an opening statement that is either a prayer, a statement of support, or a combination of both. Following the opening statement, the mass begins. A traditional funeral service typically includes scripture readings from the Bible, a homily from the priest, prayers, and hymns. A homily or sermon is a speech given by the priest after scripture has been read. The Priest will provide insight into the scripture readings and will usually relate it to the life of the deceased. Generally, the family will choose close relatives or friends to read the prayers and the scriptures. The funeral service often concludes with the delivery of a eulogy. The eulogy usually covers the deceased’s life, his/her values, personality, accomplishments, etc. 

Since there are so many sects of Christianity there will be small differences between a catholic funeral compared to a Lutheran funeral, but for the most part the funeral rituals are very similar. 

Popular Christian Funeral Hymns

Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty By John B. Dykes and Neil Rondina

The Old Rugged CrossBy Alan Jackson


His Eye On the Sparrow By Charles Hutchinson Gabriel arr. Marianne Kim
One Bread, One Body By John Michael Talbot

I Am The Bread of Life By Suzanne Toolan

Simple Gifts By Elder Joseph Brackett

Will The Circle Be Unbroken By Ruth Habershon & Charles Hutchinson Gabriel
It is Well With My Soul By Philip Bliss & Horatio Spafford

Popular Christian Funeral Readings

  • We Have an Everlasting Home In Heaven: 2 Corinthians 5:1, 6-10

    For we know that if our earthly dwelling, a tent, should be destroyed, we have a building from God, a dwelling not made with hands, eternal in heaven.

    So we are always courageous, although we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yet we are courageous, and we would rather leave the body and go home to the Lord. Therefore, we aspire to please him, whether we are at home or away. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive recompense, according to what he did in the body, whether good or evil.

    The Word of the Lord

  • Let Us Walk In Newness Of Life: Romans 6:3-9 or 6:3-4. 8-9

    A reading from the letter of Paul to the Romans

    Are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of life. For if we have grown into union with him through a death like his, we shall also be united with him in the resurrection. We know that our old self was crucified with him, so that our sinful body might be done away with, that we might no longer be in slavery to sin. For a dead person has been absolved from sin. If, then, we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him. We know that Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more; death no longer has power over him.

    The Word of the Lord

  • Come To Me...And I Will Give You Rest: Matthew 11:25-30

    At that time Jesus said in reply, "I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him. "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for your selves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light."

    The gospel of the Lord.

  • It Is Good To Wait in Silence for the Lord God to Save: Lamentations 3:17-26

    My soul is deprived of peace, I have forgotten what happiness is; I tell myself my future is lost, all that I hoped for from the LORD. The thought of my homeless poverty is wormwood and gall; remembering it over and over leaves my soul downcast within me. But I will call this to mind, as my reason to have hope: the favors of the LORD are not exhausted, his mercies are not spent; they are renewed each morning, so great is his faithfulness. My portion is the LORD, says my soul; therefore will I hope in him. Good is the LORD to one, who waits for him, to the soul that seeks him; it is good to hope in silence for the saving help of the LORD.

    The Word of the Lord

  • The Lord God Will Destroy Death Forever: Isaiah 25: 6. 7-9 A reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah

    On this mountain the LORD of hosts will provide for all peoples. On this mountain he will destroy the veil that veils all peoples, the web that is woven over all nations; he will destroy death forever. The Lord GOD will wipe away the tears from all faces; the reproach of his people he will remove from the whole earth; for the LORD has spoken. On that day it will be said: "Behold our God, to whom we looked to save us! This is the LORD for whom we looked; let us rejoice and be glad that he has saved us!"

    The Word of the Lord

  • I Know That My Redeemer Lives: Job 19:1, 23-27 A reading from the book of Job

    Then Job answered and said: Oh, would that my words were written down! Would that they were inscribed in a record: that with an iron chisel and with lead they were cut in the rock forever! But as for me, I know that my Vindicator lives, and that he will at last stand forth upon the dust; whom I myself shall see: my own eyes, not another's, shall behold him, and from my flesh I shall see God; my inmost being is consumed with longing.

    The Word of the Lord

Funeral Arrangements in Brooklyn, NY

For families and individuals living in Brooklyn, NY, a funeral service can mean many things. Some fall back on what is commonly called a "traditional funeral"; others see that same traditional service as an emotionally unfulfilling event. Fortunately, thanks to a number of unique social forces, there are alternatives.


Today, end-of-life commemorative services range from the traditional funeral , to a memorial service and the increasingly popular celebrations-of-life . If you have yet to realize the immense value of such a collective acknowledgement of loss, reach out to us. Call to speak with one of our experienced funeral service professionals.

Contact Us Today

Source:

Rostad, Curtis, "The Basics of Funeral Service", Indiana Funeral Directors Association, 2014

Huntington, Richard and Peter Metcalf, Celebrations of Death: The Anthropology of Mortuary Ritual, Cambridge University Press, 1979

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