What is a eulogy?
A eulogy is a speech that praises someone who has died. The Britannica Dictionary notes that the word can mean any speech of praise, but it almost always refers to a speech given at a funeral.
Speeches honoring the dead are very old. Britannica's entry on oratory says funeral orations for those killed in battle were prominent in ancient Greece.
Who gives a eulogy and where depends on the service. At a VA national cemetery the committal service lasts about 20 minutes and is held at a committal shelter rather than the grave, and the family may choose readings by a friend, a family member or a member of the clergy. VA also notes that funeral services themselves must be arranged at a different location.
Catholic funerals handle this differently. Church guidance says a brief homily based on the readings is given at the funeral liturgy but never a eulogy, and the Diocese of Manchester explains that the Church speaks of words of remembrance instead. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops says eulogies are usually encouraged at the funeral home during visitation or at the Vigil Service, and the Diocese of Orlando says a family member or friend may, with the priest's permission, speak in remembrance of the deceased after the prayer after communion at the Funeral Mass. Practices differ between faiths and between dioceses.
The sources behind this answer
- The Britannica Dictionary defines a eulogy as a speech that praises someone who has died. Britannica Dictionary, eulogy
- The Britannica Dictionary says eulogy can mean any speech of praise but almost always refers to a funeral speech. Britannica Dictionary, eulogy
- Britannica says funeral orations honoring those killed in battle were prominent in ancient Greece. Encyclopaedia Britannica, eulogy
- VA says the committal service at a national cemetery takes place at a committal shelter, not the gravesite, and lasts about 20 minutes. VA, Military funeral honors and the committal service
- VA says the family may choose readings by a friend, family member or member of the clergy at the committal service. VA, Military funeral honors and the committal service
- VA says viewing facilities are not available at national cemeteries and the family must arrange funeral services elsewhere. VA, Military funeral honors and the committal service
- USCCB says eulogies are usually encouraged at the funeral home during visitation or at the Vigil Service, when family and friends gather to recall the life of the deceased. USCCB, An Overview of Catholic Funeral Rites
- The Diocese of Manchester says Catholic funeral rites speak of words of remembrance rather than a eulogy, and the Order of Christian Funerals forbids a eulogy in place of the homily. Diocese of Manchester, Guidelines for Christian Funerals
- The Diocese of Manchester says a brief homily based on the readings is always given at the funeral liturgy, but there is never to be a eulogy. Diocese of Manchester, Guidelines for Christian Funerals
- The Diocese of Orlando says that with the parish priest's permission a family member or friend may speak in remembrance of the deceased after the prayer after communion, citing OCF 170. Diocese of Orlando, Diocesan Norms for Order of Christian Funerals
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