Funeral reading
Words of Committal — no religious framing
OfficiantScript
“Words of Committal — no religious framing” (OfficiantScript) is a prayer read at a funeral or memorial service. It takes about 40 seconds read aloud, usually by the officiant. It is in the public domain, so the full text is printed on this page and goes straight into a ceremony script.
The full text
We have come to the part of the day that we would all rather not have come to. We commit [their name] to the earth. We do it together, and we do it with love — with thanks for the years we had, and with grief that is exactly the size of the place they held in our lives. Nothing about this is easy, and nothing about it needs to be hurried. Take the time you need. Go gently.
Public domain, so these words can be printed in a ceremony script or an order of service.
What it says
Words for the moment a body is lowered, or the curtain closes, with no God and no afterlife in them. It names the moment honestly: the part of the day nobody wanted to reach. Then it does what a committal has to do, giving the person to the earth, together and with love. It holds thanks and grief side by side, says the grief is the size of the place the person filled, and gives the family permission to take their time. It ends with two words of farewell.
Ours, for a burial with no religious content. Swap "the earth" for cremation. Read at a funeral or memorial service. Themes: a secular committal · burial without religion · the graveside · lowering · humanist · no God mentioned.
Who it suits
A humanist, secular or non-religious burial or cremation, and families who want the shape of a traditional committal without its theology. It suits mixed rooms where some people believe and some do not, since it neither denies nor asserts anything. It works for any age and any kind of death, including sudden and difficult ones, because it makes no claims about meaning or purpose. For a cremation, change “to the earth” to “to the fire” or “to rest”.
Where it goes in the ceremony
At the graveside as the coffin is lowered, or at the crematorium at the point of committal. The officiant says it. It can be followed by a moment of silence, the scattering of earth or flowers, or a piece of music.
Reading it aloud
The text on this page is 78 words. At a ceremony pace of about 130 words a minute, which is slower than conversation, that comes to about 35 seconds of reading.
- Replace “[their name]” with the name the family used, not necessarily the formal one.
- The first line is almost conversational. Say it gently and without drama.
- “Take the time you need” is an instruction. Mean it: after you say it, stop talking and wait.
- Say “Go gently” softly, then step back. Nothing more is needed.
Questions about reading it aloud
How long does “Words of Committal — no religious framing” take to read aloud?
“Words of Committal — no religious framing” takes about 40 seconds read aloud at a ceremony pace, which is slower than conversation — roughly 130 words a minute. That is the figure the run-sheet uses when it works out the timing for the whole service.
Who usually reads “Words of Committal — no religious framing”?
Usually the officiant rather than a guest reader. “Words of Committal — no religious framing” runs about 40 seconds, which sits inside the part of the service the officiant is already leading, and keeping it there means it is carried by the person who has rehearsed it.
Can “Words of Committal — no religious framing” be printed in a ceremony script?
Yes. It is in the public domain, so the full text is on this page and can be printed in a script or an order of service.
Where this text was checked
No source recorded.
Written by us, so there is nothing to check it against.
Checked
A reading is two minutes of the hour.
The rest is the welcome, the life, the remembrances, the committal — and knowing what comes next. Answer some questions about them and get the whole service, written out, with this reading in its place.
Other readings that suit the same service
- Words of Committal (Book of Common Prayer, 1662) — short form25 secondsThe traditional Christian committal
- A Closing, with no prayer35 secondsA closing for the end of the same service
- Requiem30 secondsA short secular poem for the graveside
- El Malei Rachamima minute and a halfTraditional memorial prayer
- Mourner's Kaddisha minute and a halfTraditional, Aramaic
- The Lord's Prayer40 secondsMatthew 6, King James Bible