Can you have a funeral Mass on Christmas Day?
No.
This is a solemnity that is a holy day of obligation in the United States, so no funeral Mass is celebrated. Instead, the Church provides a funeral liturgy without Mass (a Liturgy of the Word, the final commendation and the committal), or the funeral Mass can be held on another day.
Church law (GIRM 380; Order of Christian Funerals, no. 178). Your parish sets the schedule.
The rule
“Among the Masses for the Dead, the Funeral Mass holds first place. It may be celebrated on any day except for Solemnities that are Holydays of Obligation, Thursday of Holy Week (Holy Thursday), the Paschal Triduum, and the Sundays of Advent, Lent, and Easter, with due regard also for all the other requirements of the norm of the law.”
The next dates
| Date | Day | Funeral Mass |
|---|---|---|
| Friday, December 25, 2026 | The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas) | No funeral Mass |
| Saturday, December 25, 2027 | The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas) | No funeral Mass |
| Monday, December 25, 2028 | The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas) | No funeral Mass |
| Tuesday, December 25, 2029 | The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas) | No funeral Mass |
Computed from the liturgical calendar for the dioceses of the United States (romcal), the same calendar as Today in the Church. Check any other date with the funeral Mass date checker.